How to redeem the Black Dragon
by Man of cartoons
Summary: Following his defeat in the hands of Natsu and his human comrades, Acnologia is given a chance to understood what the son of Igneel told him before he supposed died. Now in a world entirely different from his world, the black dragon is determined to find his own comrades he can rely on and save this world before it falls into ruin.
1. Acnologia's new life begins

Hello there. Welcome to my first – and probably my only – story involving Fairy Tail. To be honest, I've had this idea since I read the last chapter of Fairy Tail last year, but for some reason I never got to doing it. I've actually made crossovers with Akame ga kill, but they always involved Ben 10. So I thought, why don't I just make a fanfiction that would focus on the redemption of a villain?

And that's where this fanfiction came to mind. Hope you like it. There will be pairings in this, so look out for that.

DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN ANY TV SHOW. CAN ANYONE TELL ME WHY WE DO THIS DISCLAIMERS?

Now on with the chapter.

**Chapter 1: ****Acnologia's new life begins **

The last thing he remembered was the face of the Fire Dragon King's son. He never really got his name now that he thought about it. All the black dragon wanted was more blood, to destroy everything in his path, and to have everything in his grasp. But then HE, the one who beat him, said this.

"There's no way you can fit everything in your hands."

Those words surprised him, but he listened, even as his body continued to disintegrate.

"That's why you've gotta treasure the things you do have." He added and smiled. The young dragon, son of the Fire Dragon King, Igneel, was the one speaking. "Don't get greedy. All I need are my friends. As long as I have them, I don't need anything else."

'_Friends?' _thought Achologia. "I see." He mustered, knowing his end was very near. And so with his last words, he said. "You are…worthy of the title 'King'."

"King? Thanks, but no thanks."

And just like that, everything went became white and Acnologia, the black dragon, was no more – at least that's what he thought. When he opened his eyes again, he let out a soft groan and sat up with a slight strain on his face. He was having a small headache, which subsided quickly, and he looked around his environment.

'_What is this? Where am I' _He wondered.

He was in a dead-end alley, with nothing but just dirt and trashes lying around. Upon standing up, he looked around him, and tried to understand his position in this new place.

"Am I not supposed to be dead?" He asked himself.

Just when he thought that, he felt something about his left side. Shocked and confused, he pushed his cloth aside and saw his left arm, which was something he long missed ever since his battle with the Fire Dragon King, Igneel.

"My arm? But how?"

"Oi, look what we have here." said an unfamiliar voice.

Acnologia scowled and looked to the direction in came from. About five men were standing there, seemingly wearing cocky expressions as they stood in front of him dressed in raggy clothes. Two of them held guns while one had a knife and the rest just stood there.

Acnologia may not know them, but it was obvious to him that they were native of this place. "Humans…" He muttered with a small growl. "I normally don't talk to lowlife like you, but I have a question. Where is this place?"

"Who you calling a lowlife?!" The man in front yelled. He seemed to be the leader. "If you didn't know, this part of the slums is our turf! We're going to fuck you up, so you better handover whatever you –"

His words were cut off, and so was his life. Acnologia's speed allowed him to past him and three of his men with his arm stretched out and a cold look on his face. The last man left, a man with a knife was deeply shocked by the outcome as he saw blood fly out his boss and comrades before they hit the ground.

"I don't like to repeat myself." Acnologia menacingly said. "Now answer my question or die."

The man stuttered in fear and made a few steps back. Those cold eyes staring at him weren't just that of a murderer, it was the glare of a monster in human skin. He regained some courage and let out a battle cry and swung his knife.

"Fuck you!" He shouted.

When his knife made contact with Acnologia's cheek, it shattered into pieces. Before the man knew it, Acnologia grabbed him by the neck and slowly began to press his small claws into his skin.

"Are you done now? Humans are such an annoyance. It's almost hard for me to believe that I lost to them…So, are you ready to die, or will you tell me what I want to know?"

The man looked down at Acnologia in pain and desperation. He had no other choice in the situation he was in.

_(LINE BREAK)_

"So this is the Capital eh?" Acnologia wondered to himself.

Having dealt with the man in the alley, he was able to find his way out of the slums and head to the upper streets of the Capital. He, occasionally, got some stares from people, but showed no interest in what their expressions said about him. He had his own thoughts to deal with.

'_So no one here has heard of magic or possess lacrima huh?' _He thought while walking aimlessly. _'I should've been dead by now, and yet I'm taken to some place I've never heard of. Am I in another country or the future? That thug from earlier said he never heard of Fiore or Ishgar, not that it matters much. I need to talk with someone who doesn't smell like shit.' _

And with that, he set his sight on obtaining information. He wanted to be sure of his current position before making any hypothesis of his current circumstances. But the longer he wondered about, the more time he found to be wasting. Whenever he met with someone, they'd simply run away or be too scared to speak with him.

Acnologia's could've simply forced them to him, however, for some reason he never felt like doing it. Eventually, he was coming across a small bridge when he noticed a young boy with brown hair sitting there. It was already nighttime, so seeing the boy there by himself caught his attention.

"Damn! This totally sucks!" shouted the young boy. "That was all the money I had! Damn that rack – I mean that girl! I guess that's what I get!"

"Hey!" Acnologia called out to him and approached him.

When Tatsumi looked up, he was petrified at the person looking down at him. "M-Me? What do you want? I don't have money, I swear!"

"I'm not here for money!" Acnologia yelled, and sighed. "Listen, I've been wondering here for a bit too long just trying to find information. Now what is this about a rack you speak of and why did it have to do with some girl?"

"I…uh…" Tatsumi was baffled.

Eventually, the young boy was able to tell the dark dragon everything that transpired. During that time, Acnologia sat next to him, only to then laugh once the boy was done.

"Seriously?! You let some female with those weird things on her chest trick you?! HAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"You don't have to rub it in!" Tatsumi shouted, tearing following down his face. "Like you could've done better!"

"Eh?!" Acnologia looked at him offensively. Once it was obvious the stare was getting to the boy, he simply looked away. "Well if I was in your position, by now I would've tracked that woman down and taken my money. Then I'd kill her off by making sure not even a trace of her remains."

Somewhere in Night Raid's hideout, Leone shuddered in an instant. She had no idea that the black dragon had indirectly mentioned her.

Back with the two, Acnologia asked. "So what do you plan on doing now?"

Before Tatsumi could give an answer, a chariot stopped in front of them.

"Are you really doing this, my lady?" asked a masked guard who was also her driver.

"Of course. You know how I am." Answered a girl's voice. With that, she stepped out of the vehicle and approached them with another guard. "Excuse me, if you're looking for a place to stay, you're welcome to come home with me."

"Uh thanks, but we're broke." Tatsumi replied.

She giggled. "Well if you weren't, then you wouldn't be here."

Acnologia watched everything transpire without saying a word. His eyes were staring suspiciously at the blonde girl standing in front of them. He could sense something very bad about her, and yet he said nothing about it despite his suspicion.

"Lady Aria has a bit of weakness for those who have nowhere to go." said the guard.

"You can stay with me, pretty please?" Aria pleaded nicely.

Tatsumi blushed. "Uh…Uh, sure. I'll come with you. I don't know if he would –"

"I'm coming along." Acnologia said and stood up and smiled a bit. "It beats better than staying outside, not that I'm complaining really. Besides, things just might get interesting living under your place."

"Then it's settled." Aria happily agreed.

Tatsumi and Acnologia were taken inside her wagon, before being taken to her home, which was a huge compound with a mansion. Upon entering the place, Tatsumi was awestruck at the size of the place, and followed Aria and the guards as they went to the living room.

"This place is huge!" He exclaimed.

Aria giggled. "Thank you. It's quite nice to hear that from you."

Acnologia wasn't impressed though. From his own view, there was no point at being amazed at a place that he could easily destroy it in a blink of an eye. But, of course, he said nothing about it, especially when he and Tatsumi were allowed to seat on a couch.

"So you brought another one home. How much is that?" Aria's mother said with a soft smile.

Acnologia perceived the same thing he recognized from Aria. The woman was beautiful in human terms, and resembled her daughter obviously. However, the black dragon was unimpressed as he silently watched.

"Oh thank you for having me." Tatsumi said and bow. "I…I mean we appreciate your help."

"Eh." Acnologia simply shrugged.

Aria's family were obviously a bit taken aback by his behavior, but never make a comment about it. Of course, Acnologia had a feeling none of them would really care about his behavior, because he already began to suspect their true nature.

"It's okay. Make your stay at home." Aria's mother calmly said. "If we help people out, the happiness will eventually come to us, right?"

"Mum!" Aria shouted, embarrassingly. "That's not the reason I'm doing this!"

"I'm just joking." She said lightly.

Tatsumi saw the whole thing as kind of funny. Not only was Aria acting cute, but she was living with a good family. He only saw it fit that he could trust them with what he was about to say. And so, he told them the reason he was in the Capital, which was to make a name for himself in the military.

Acnologia was intrigued by this, and even decided to listen in on the boy's backstory. Once he was done, Aria's father was the one to speak.

"I see. You want to become successful in the army to save your village." He said.

"Yes." Tatsumi replied.

"That's a wonderful dream you have there." The father added. "But you know, it may be peaceful inside the Imperial Capital, but this country is surrounded on three sides by different races. You could be brought over the borders to fight against them."

"I'm prepared for that!" Tatsumi assured him.

"I see. That's quite the commendable spirit." The father remarked. "That's how the young should be."

"Did you come here alone with him?" Aria asked, referring to Acnologia.

"No, uh…" Tatsumi glanced at the black dragon. "He just showed up next to me before you picked me up. But I did come with two people actually."

And so Tatsumi explained his background to the family and Acnologia. He came from a poor village burdened by heavy taxes, and decided along with his friends, Sayo and Ieyasu, to come to the Capital to make enough money for their village to survive. Acnologia found his tone to be depressing, and recognized the kind of heart Tatsumi had.

'_He kind of reminds me of the son of Igneel.' _He thought and smiled a bit. _'Looks like I may have a chance to experience what he told me in my previous life.' _

"At first, things went smoothly, but we got attacked by bandits and we got separated." Tatsumi finished, showing concern for his friends. "However, the both of them are descent fighters so I'm not too worried. However, Ieyasu can't navigate his way out of a paper bag. We planned to meet here at the Capital, but I'm not sure if he can make it."

"Then it's settled." Aria's father said, standing up. "I think I have a friend in the military that can help you. I'll give him your name and ask him to find your two friends."

"I have extreme keen intuition, you know." Aria said proudly. "I know you'll see your friends again very soon."

Acnologia gritted his teeth, but did it with his lips closed. Her tone was holding back the truth, and he already knew that somehow Tatsumi's friends have been in the mansion. The only question was where were they now?

"Thank you very much!" Tatsumi said, thanking them.

"So what about you?" Aria's mother asked, referring to Acnologia. "We would like to hear a bit about you. Why were you in the Capital? Are you from the countryside too?"

"No, I'm not from the countryside, nor did I have any intention to be in the Capital." Acnologia answered. "I come from a country that probably doesn't exist here. That's all you'll ever get to know about me."

"That was rude!" Tatsumi yelled. "They invite you here to have shelter and you respond that way. At least give them your name."

"My name is not relevant to them." Acnologia said straightaway. "Why must I give my name to people like them? Maybe soon I will, but if they want to throw me out, then they can do it right away. But I can tell you one thing. It won't go well for any of them."

Acnologia's intimidation was sensed by everyone in the room, as he made no effort to calm the situation. Aria was most affected by it, but tried to keep her smile going.

"Ah…well if he doesn't want to talk about his life, then perhaps we should all go to bed. It's getting late." She said.

"Indeed it is." Acnologia smirked.

_(LINE BREAK)_

Tatsumi was taken to the same room with the black dragon, much to his own dismay. Aria confided in him earlier to keep a close eye on him since he may be trouble for her family. Of course, she played it nice, so Tatsumi understood her concern and complied with her without any protest.

When they made it to the room, Acnologia went to the bed close to the window and sat at its edge. "Soft…I don't remember the last time since I laid on a bed." He said.

"Is that so?" Tatsumi said, mentally noting down the man in front of him. "You said you come from a country that doesn't exist here, right? What did you mean?"

"It's complicated." Acnologia said with his back at him.

"Right…" Tatsumi said and laid on his bed. "I can't wait to finally meet with Sayo and Ieyasu. I just hope they're doing okay."

Acnologia stood up from his bed and went to stand in front of the window. Looking outside, he saw a shed at the far end of the compound and scowled a bit. The scent he was getting was something he was very much used to.

"Let me ask you something, Tatsumi." Acnologia said. "What would you do if you found out something terrible happened to your friends, and it was because of the people you chose to trust?"

"What are you talking about?" Tatsumi sat up.

Acnologia was silent, his shadow lying on his bed as Tatsumi stared at him. When he did respond, it was with the same tone.

"Forget what I said…for now. It's getting late." Acnologia told him. "I'll keep watch, so you have nothing to worry about."

"Uh…right." Tatsumi replied.

Though the black dragon gave him that assurance, it took about an hour before Tatsumi was able to sleep off. He was actually concerned about his safety around the blue-haired man, but after waking him, he found that Acnologia was still in the same position as before.

"You've awaken." Acnologia said without turning back.

"Ah, yes." Tatsumi said, feeling a bit drained. "Wait, have you been standing there since?"

"What can I say? These people have a nice backyard."

Tatsumi found it creepy that the man was just standing there. When he got his bath, he and Acnologia went to meet with a butler, who then took them to Aria, and they had their breakfast with them. Aria mentioned going to shop for some clothes, to which Tatsumi agreed on while Acnologia declined. He would rather stay in his room.

Another day came to an end, though not without Tatsumi telling Acnologia about his day. The black dragon learnt that Aria was a big spender and that the empire was ruled by a child that was being manipulated by the prime minister. None of that really concerned him, but one thing that did interest him a bit was about the group of assassins named Night Raid.

Tatsumi soon went to sleep when the time came. Tatsumi was enjoying his peaceful rest when he suddenly sensed something dangerous, and sat right up in an instant.

'_What was that?! I sensed blood thirst just now!' _Tatsumi thought. He turned to where Acnologia was. "Hey! There's – where did he go?!"

Acnologia wasn't there to be seen, and then a thought clicked on him. Acnologia was always giving off a threatening aura and Tatsumi always had a suspicion that he would do something dangerous, but not to the level he would've thought.

'_I have to stop him!' _He thought, and grabbed his sword before running off.

Unknown to Tatsumi, however, the black dragon was paying a visit to Aria's father in his private room. He was only disappointed when he saw that someone beat him to the kill. A woman with long blonde hair with beastly claws, ears and tail was holding the man by the neck in the air.

"Please…don't kill my daughter." He begged.

"Oh, don't worry. She'll be joining you soon." She replied with a smirk.

"You monster…"

Leone was about to crack his neck when she heard footsteps. Looking to where it came from her, her beastly instincts made her shudder as the presence kept coming towards to the room. This feeling was something she only felt once, and it was back when she was in the hideout.

"So…I'm guessing you're one of them. That is Night Raid." Acnologia said with a threatening look on his face. "Tell me, what magic are you using to attain this form and strength? A few come to mind, but I must know specifically."

"Magic?" Leone asked, confused. "Hey! Who are you?! Are you here to save this old man?!"

Aria's father pushed his eyes to the edge and saw Acnologia. "Oh good…You're here. Please save me from this monster."

"Monster, you say? How ironic that you say that." Acnologia's response survived him and Leone. "I'd admit you had the boy fooled, but not me. Though this woman obviously has more blood on her hands than I can count, you're getting what you deserve." With that, he turned his back at them and began to walk away. "With your wife dead by now, let's see if I can't kill your daughter before they do."

"N…No! You stay away from –" He was shut when Leone snapped his neck.

She threw the man aside and ran to the same way Acnologia walked through. But when she emerged at the corridor, she found no sign of him.

_(LINE BREAK)_

Tatsumi was fighting for his life, except it wasn't with whom he once suspected it would be. Night Raid was attacking the mansion, and from the looks of it, they were able to kill off all the guards and possibly Aria's parents.

Speaking of the young blonde, Tatsumi was barely able to save her after Akame killed the guard protecting her. They were at the backyard, heading to a shed when it happened. Fortunately for the blonde, Tatsumi's sword clashed with her, and he got into a fight with the assassin.

Tatsumi was known to be very skilled in his village. He was able to take on Earth Dragons, which were bigger than most buildings in the Capital. However, when he started fighting Akame, he found that he was outclassed by her and barely able to survive.

Akame was easily able to stab him in the chest. Tatsumi should've been dead by then, but when he pulled out a totem from under his shirt, he smiled proudly. "The people from the village protected me." He said.

Akame was surprised at first, but at least she knew the cause. She became serious again and charged straight for Tatsumi without a slight thought.

"Eliminate." She said.

"Wait!" Tatsumi shouted in fear. He knew he wouldn't be able to survive another fight with the black-haired assassin. "You guys are after the money, right?! We're not even in the battlefield and yet you're trying to kill an innocent girl?!"

His words fell on deaf ears, however. Akame was about to strike him, when suddenly a shadow came upon them, and she jumped back just in time when she sensed its presence. Something immensely powerful landed right between them, creating a shockwave so strong that it pushed Tatsumi and Aria away and blew a strong wind against Akame.

Tatsumi and Aria barely had enough time to sit up when there noticed a silhouette in the dust cloud, rising from the ground.

"You call her innocent? You really are a fool, Tatsumi."

He recognized that voice, and so did Aria. Acnologia simply had to push his right arm aside to cause a wind that blew away the dust cloud.

"It's you!" Tatsumi exclaimed.

"That's right." Acnologia responded, and smirked at Akame. "So, you're one of them too, am I right? Your friend with blonde hair beat me to the girl's father."

"My father?" Aria asked, shocked at what she was hearing.

"You heard me right, brat." Acnologia said, looking back. "Just don't cry for him yet. When I'm done with these assassins, I'll be coming for you. Tatsumi, don't you dare run away with that girl. There's something I want you to know about your friends, but first…I want to stretch out with this assassin here."

Akame was troubled by that remark, but never showed it. Her killer senses were telling her that the person in front of her was no ordinary man. Was he a Teigu user? She couldn't be sure, and it's not like she was going to wait.

She ran straight at Acnologia and slashed her katana at his chest. Her attack was meant to be a swift kill, and with the fact that the weapon was equipped with poison, it was only a few seconds left before Acnologia would drop and die.

"Eh? Is that all?"

Akame was surprised and jumped back. Acnologia's chest had no sign of a potential strike on him. It was almost like her katana grazed his skin and did nothing.

The enemy was dangerous, and Akame knew that now. Unlike with Tatsumi, she'll actually have to be serious about killing her opponent. That is why, in a blink of an eye, she was gone from where she was standing, much to Tatsumi and Aria's shock.

When she reappeared, it was behind Acnologia with her katana heading for his neck. Tatsumi thought the worse for the black dragon, when suddenly man just clicked his tongue and blocked Akame's attack with just his finger.

"Aiming for the neck huh? Quite clever, but a foolish mistake still." Acnologia commented.

Akame made a leap back to avoid any counterattack by the man. She was already speculating that he was a Teigu user, when suddenly he appeared behind her and wrapped his arm around her stomach and used his other hand to grab her neck.

"Did you really think you could escape that easily?" Acnologia said intimidatingly.

Akame snarled and raised her leg to kick his private part. Acnologia responded with no pain, though he did show a slight strain from the impact. Akame went ahead to use the butt of her katana to hit his eye, but that only caused him to close and open it and hiss.

"You shouldn't have done that." Acnologia said with malice.

Before he could proceed to snap her neck, he and the others heard someone call out the female assassin's name. Leone emerged from the bush and ran straight for Acnologia, knowing her friend was in danger.

"You let go of her, you bastard!" Leone shouted.

Tatsumi recognized her. "Hey! You're that boobs from earlier!"

"Not now, kid! I'm going to fuck up your friend here!" She yelled.

"So you're the one that stole his money." Acnologia snickered and threw Akame away. The assassin landed on her feet, but that didn't concern him. "I told the lad that I would kill you if I was in his position. I can't be a liar after saying that."

"Fuck that!" Leone shouted and punched Acnologia in the face.

The black dragon skidded back, having felt the impact of the punch, and came to a stop. He was unharmed by her punch.

"So the cat knows how to bite?" Acnologia's lips shaped to a smile. He then stretched his hands out and shouted. "Come at me, woman! Entertain me to the best of your abilities! Only then will I grant you a quick but painful death!"

"Cocky bastard!" Leone yelled.

"Leone!" Akame called out to her.

When the both of them looked at each other, they made eye-contact and understood one another. Acnologia was impressed when Akame put her katana back in its holder and charge at him, and Leone followed suit.

He could only snicker before sensing both of their punches. Since he possessed his left hand once again, he was able to grab both of their punches with his hands, but not without being kicked at the chin by the both of them simultaneously.

Acnologia was sent flying back, when he then did a backflip and landed on his feet. Akame and Leone charged at him again with the intent to kill. Acnologia was impressed by their bloodlust and tightened his fists.

"HAHA! Two against one! So you have some strength in you, Akame!" Acnologia then summoned the magic to flow to his fists. "It's only fair that I become serious too!"

Everyone were shocked at what happened next. Acnologia's fists were engulfed by blue flames, before he laughed manically and leapt at the two assassins. Akame and Leone were able to get out of the way of his flames, but not without engaging in a fist fight afterwards.

The battle was intense to watch. Tatsumi watched as Akame and Leone exchanged punches with Acnologia while making sure that he never made a quick hit on weak points on their body. The heat coming from it was enough to let them know that they'll be burnt the moment it made contact with them.

However, the battle wasn't going to remain that way. Acnologia punched Leone in the stomach with so much power that she coughed out blood as a hole was created. She was still able to grab on to the black dragon's arm and pull him close to her.

Akame saw that chance as an opening created by her friend. She leapt and kneed Acnologia in the face with as much force as she could muster. It would've blown him away, however the black dragon suddenly grabbed Akame's ankle, causing her to scream when she felt the burn, and flung her against Leone.

Leone and Akame were able to land on their feet, though they did skid for some time before they stopped. The hole in Leone's stomach began to heal, and it surprised Acnologia.

"Regeneration?" He questioned. "You have quite the impressive magic there. Maybe I can take it from you once I've killed you."

"This ain't magic, dumbass! What kind of Teigu are you using, anyway?!" Leone yelled in anger.

"Teigu? I don't know what you're talking about. But I see now that I'll have to keep one of you alive. Perhaps, after I dispose of you two, I'll go for your friends standing on those wires and let one of them alive. I want to know what this Teigu you mentioned is all about."

"Like hell we'll let you get away!"

"That's where you're wrong." Acnologia's eyes flashed blue. "You never had a choice in this, especially the moment you chose to be here."

With that said, Acnologia opened his mouth and took a deep breath. **"WITENESS A MERE FRACTURE OF THE POWER OF THE BLACK DRAGON!** **BLACK DRAGON ROAAAAAR!" **

Akame and Leone barely had a chance to leap out of the way of the incoming attack. Acnologia unleashed a huge gush of fire that cut right through the air and ground surface. When the attack was power, a huge trail was found, burning any tree in its track, to point that none of them remained.

"So…So hot…" Tatsumi muttered. Even though he was far from the battle, he and Aria were able to feel the heat of his flames. "He burnt down those trees like they were nothing."

"No…No way…" Aria was shocked. "We…we had that in our house?" Aria was shocked.

Acnologia huffed and looked at where Leone and Akame stood. The both of them were also shocked at his display of power.

'_What kind of power is that…?' _Leone thought, and looked away from the damage. She stared at Acnologia. _'I couldn't even see the end of that trail. Is he really playing with us all this time? If so, Akame and I won't be able to beat him alone. Those flames should've attracted the others' attention.' _

She was right, because a gunshot was heard. Acnologia's keen ears were able to pick up on a bullet heading for the back of his head, and grabbed it with just two finger. He growled with a small tone and turned back to see the top of the mansion, where a young girl with pink twin-tails standing there with a sniper-like gun.

"What?! He caught it?!" Mine was surprised.

Acnologia glanced at the bullet in his hand, and then back at the girl. Knowing that the object came from the girl, he flicked the bullet back at her without a second thought. Mine was caught off guard when the bullet flew past her, but only barely scratching against her neck.

"S-Shit!" Mine shouted and became furious. "Big mistake! When I'm ever in a pinch, my pumpkin just gets stronger!"

She pulled on the trigger and unleashed a bright orange beam down on Acnologia. The black dragon was unmoved by it, and even opened his mouth when it drew closer. The thing he did next only shocked everyone.

Acnologia ate the whole beam until not a bit of it was left. He then coughed and hit his chest, before belching.

"Doesn't taste like magic, but it's a bit edible. Thanks for the meal. How about I return the favor?"

Before anyone could ask what he meant, he opened his mouth and unleashed the same beam she shot at him. Mine barely had enough time to jump out of the way and land on a set of wires set up by Lubbock. The beam, meanwhile, cut down the upper-left side of Aria's mansion.

"My house!" Aria shouted.

Acnologia was about to comment on that, when he suddenly sensed danger around him. A bunch of green threads suddenly surrounded him, and before he could say a word, they tightened around him.

"I've got to say, you're a tough one…" Lubbock said, standing behind the black dragon. "…but this is where it ends."

"Hmph. Such ignorance will only leave you dead."

"What?"

Lubbock witnessed at the threads suddenly shattered into mere pieces in an instant. Acnologia disappeared from his sight, and only showed up behind him with quick karate chop on his neck. Lubbock gasped from the air and fell to the ground unconscious.

"Maybe I should stop holding back." Acnologia muttered, and looked at his hand.

Leone grew angry and charged straight for the black dragon. She wanted nothing more than to end his life right there. Acnologia could sense the killing intent in her, and found himself bored by it. Before she even reached him, he went passed her with an expressionless face and with his hands stretched out.

Leone screamed out in pain when she felt what he did to him. Her arms and legs were sliced off her, and she hit the ground with a thud. Not only was her limbs flying on the ground, but there were several large cuts on her body.

Akame was shocked at what happened and wanted to react. Acnologia beat her to it, and reappeared behind her. She turned back to face him, but he only used that as a chance to swiftly grab her by the throat and lift her off the ground.

"I'm kind of disappointed. I wanted a real fight and yet…" Akame stopped him when she kicked his face. It did nothing to him. "…and yet I only fought weak humans."

It was obvious by his tone that he wished to kill Akame. The assassin knew that with that kind of grip that she couldn't escape. Her best chance was to use Murasame to unlock her trump card, but knowing this man's speed, she likely won't be able to get to it.

Fortunately, her teammates came to her rescue in the form of constant bullets fired from Mine's position. Acnologia simply threw Akame away and flicked the bullets with a finger as they came.

Every impact the bullets made on the ground resulted in an explosion. While Acnologia was unfazed by them, the whole thing was scaring Aria, and a constant reminder to Akame, Leone and Tatsumi of the man's unbelievable power. Acnologia was perfectly flickering every shot sent at him with a bored look on his face.

'_Just what the hell is this guy?' _Leone was curious. She could barely see what was going on from her position on the floor. If it weren't for her regeneration, she'd be dead by now.

Unknown to Acnologia, the bullets were just a cover for Sheele and Bulat to strike at him from above. When the shots cleared, the duo came down from above him to cut down the black dragon. Bulat was in his Incursio form and wielded a spear while Sheele possessed Extase.

Acnologia barely had enough time to look up when they struck him down. However, he did have the time to catch both their weapons by the blade with both hands, much to the shock of the duo.

"You're four hundred years too early to think sneak attacks work on me!" And so Acnologia threw them back, though they landed on their feet safely.

"This is insane…" Aria said, stepping away. "I have to get away from here."

Acnologia heard that, and his glare turned over to her. Aria could see the cold expression on his face, and shrieked before turning away to leave the place. Tatsumi called out to her, but she chose to ignore him.

She never made it away like she thought. She ran into Acnologia's body and fell to the ground with a short scream. When she looked up, she saw the black dragon squat down at her with a scowl on his face.

"I never gave you permission to leave, nor did I say you'll live past this night." He said.

Next thing that happened was the shed's door blown to bits by blue flames. Aria was sent flying to the floor of the place, with Acnologia walking over to her from the distance.

"Stop this!" Tatsumi shouted with his sword in his grasp. "What's wrong with you?! Aria and her family brought us here and treated us kindly, and now that her parents are dead you treat their daughter this way!"

Acnologia turned back at Tatsumi. "As always, you're quite gullible. Do you wish to fight me just to save that girl?"

"If I have to, then yes." Tatsumi said seriously.

Leone was being assisted by Akame to put her limbs back together. Due to her Teigu, her regeneration was kicking in, and she found herself back on her feet. The other members of Night, minus the unconscious Lubbock, were cautious about the interaction between Tatsumi and Acnologia, and waited for any opening that they could exploit.

"You with the big breasts!" Acnologia called Leone.

"I have a name, you know!" Leone retorted.

"I don't fucking care!" Acnologia dismissed her response. "I heard Night Raid attacks people with high political and social power, correct? But the reason you kill them isn't because you're just assassins, it's because they deserved it, am I right?"

"Yes…" Leone was a bit dumbfounded at his thinking. "How did you know?"

"Simple, because I met this twerp and her family." Acnologia answered before facing Aria. He saw the fear in her eyes, and said. "As much as I'd enjoy killing you, I think that honor goes to Tatsumi."

"What are you talking about?! I can't kill a human being, especially someone that's innocent!" Tatsumi yelled.

Acnologia almost found his response laughable. He even cracked a smile at the very humor he found behind Tatsumi's words.

"Come in here and take a look for yourself, Tatsumi." That's all he said.

Tatsumi was reluctant, before complying with the words of the black dragon. He only needed to take a step in, and his eyes were in shock at what awaited him. Bodies of people were in cages, some without limbs, and other just missing more body parts, with every one of them covered in blood.

His eyes widened more when he looked up and saw a familiar face and body. It was a girl, naked and covered in blood with her head looking down as she lacked one of her legs.

"S-Sayo…" Tatsumi called out, his mind very much in shock at what he was witnessing. "Hey, Sayo…It's me, Tatsumi."

When he received no response, the reality sunk him more. Aria made an attempt to stand up, but Acnologia simply grabbed her by the top of her hair and lifted her off the ground. She screamed, though he didn't care.

"Let me go! Let me go!" Aria cried out.

"No." Acnologia replied coldly, and looked back at Tatsumi. "Now do you see what you're 'kind saviors' were really up to? I knew the moment I smelt the blood on her she was no ordinary girl. The blood on her and her family's hands were so bad that I was almost impressed."

'_Impressed?' _Akame thought.

"Wait, you're saying she and her family did this?" Tatsumi asked, still in shock but not even looking at Acnologia.

"That's right." Leone confirmed as she stepped over to them. "The guards were keeping quiet about it, so they're similarly guilty."

"It's a lie!" Aria shouted. "I didn't know there was a place like this! Are you going to believe me, the one that saved you, or these guys, Tatsumi?!"

The young boy was unable to respond. His mind was trying to comprehend the truth and the reality of everything. He was, however, brought out of his thoughts when he heard a familiar voice, except it was dying.

"Tatsumi…"

"Ieyasu!" Tatsumi called out and turned to the direction from where it came.

His black spiky-haired friend, Ieyasu, was in a cage, shirtless and covered in his own blood as he stretched his hand out to him, his face showing horror.

"That girl invited Sayo and me…and after we ate, we lost consciousness…and we were here when we came to. That…That girl…she tortured Sayo to deeaaatthh!"

Tatsumi was shocked at the deep revelation. There was no doubt in his mind now that Aria and her family did everything to his friends like Ieyasu said. Aria snapped at last, and the innocent little girl she kept was unfolded.

"**SO WHAT IF I KILLED HER?! YOU ALL ARE JUST WORTHLESS HICKS FROM THE COUNTRY, RIGHT?! THE SAME AS CATTLE! I SHOULD BE FREE TO TREAT THEM HOWEVER I WANT! BESIDES, THAT GIRL WAS SO IMPERTINENT FOR HAVING SUCH STRAIGHT HAIR FOR A FARM ANIMAL, EVEN THOUGH I'M TROUBLED WITH SUCH UNRULY HAIR! THAT'S WHY I AGONIZED HER SO METICULOUSLY! IN FACT, SHE SHOULD BE GRATEFUL THAT I TOOK SUCH GOOD CARE OF HER!"**

"So…you were troubled by unruly hair, huh?" Acnologia asked, and he showed his sharp dragon-like teeth. "Then let me help you with that."

His claws suddenly grew and cut of some the hair he was holding. Aria fell to the ground with a scream and made an attempt to scurry away. Acnologia grabbed her by the foot and pulled her back to face him on her back.

Aria was staring straight at a monster. Forget the expression she made earlier, she knew she was staring at a being much crueler than her. But even when she tried to protect her hair with her hands, the black dragon scratch them and used his claws to cut every trace of her hair off. When he was done, Aria was bald, though there were bloody claw marks on her head.

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO ME?!" Aria screamed.

"You hated your hair, right? So I cut them off. You're welcome."

"YOU…YOU BASTARD!"

Acnologia was unfazed by her insult. "You know, I could've killed you right where you lie. You put me in the same category as a worthless hick and a cattle. But let me make it clear to you so you can take my words to your parents if you see them in the afterlife, I'm not from the countryside, nor am I as weak as the people you killed. I'm an existence you were fortunate until now to never meet. I am Acnologia, and where I'm from, I'm known as the King of Dragons."

"D-Dragons?" Aria asked, scared and yet so confused.

"That's right…" Acnologia smirked a bit. "You guys were kind of bothered that I never told you my name. So do you want to know why I acted that way? It's because I was looking at walking corpses, and you should know how dumb it is to talk to corpses, right?"

Aria was stricken in fear. She was able to pick up his tone quite easily. Acnologia was basically saying he was planning on killing them before Night Raid even showed up. This also made her realize that she and her parents weren't being the predators like they did with their previous victims. No, Acnologia was the predator, and they were the unsuspecting prey.

"Tatsumi…now's your chance." Acnologia said to the young boy. "Are you going to let their torture and death here be in vain? Cut her down right where she is."

Aria looked over to Tatsumi and saw his face was covered by his hair. The killing intent coming from him was strong, and it scared her as she struggled back on her feet.

"Tatsumi…wait. You…You can't do this. I…I…" She stopped when she saw that she wasn't getting through to him.

She needed to escape, especially from the vengeful teenager coming for her. Acnologia made no effort to stop her, so she got on her feet and tried to make a run for it. Tatsumi caught up to her, however, and sliced her right on the back.

Aria cried out in pain, feeling the huge gash on her back as she tried to crawl away. Tatsumi went over to her and kicked her on her back. When Aria looked up, she saw Tatsumi's sword right above her chest, specifically at the place where her heart would be.

"Please…don't kill me…"

"Tell that to Sayo…but I doubt a monster like you will do that." Tatsumi said and struck his sword into her heart.

Aria died on that very spot, and Tatsumi walked away from her. "Just what is wrong with this world?" He questioned.

Though he avenged Sayo and Ieysau, he wasn't feeling victorious over his revenge. He was deeply depressed over the truth and his reality, and was at the point of dejection when he heard Ieyasu coughing.

Looking to where the cage was, he saw Acnologia carrying Ieyasu away from the cage. One thing he failed to notice was the fact that the man had bent the bars just to get to the boy out. Acnologia handed Ieyasu over to Tatsumi, who lay him on the floor but kept his sitting up.

"Ieyasu, I'm so sorry. If I hadn't separated from you guys then –"

"Tatsumi…" Ieyasu said with a dying voice. "You would've ended up in the same state as us. Never mind…what happened. You know Sayo. She never submitted to that fucking girl…I really…wanted to go out like her…like a hero."

Ieyasu's heart stopped beating, and he gave up his ghost. Tatsumi silently placed his best friend on the floor, feeling terrible over what just happened. But he was so much in pain that his mind accepted what happened, and he silently grieved for his dead friends.

"Aria's mother poisoned the previous guests with a special medicine and kept those things in her diary." Leone said to him somewhat sympathetically. "Sorry, but there was nothing you could've done to save him."

"His willpower kept him alive." Akame added.

Acnologia sighed, disturbing the airy silence in the shed. When a thought dawned on him, he went over to Tatsumi and asked an unexpected question.

"You lost both your friends. That must hurt for a human at your age." He said. Tatsumi was confused by his tone, and looked up at him. Acnologia added. "I will give you a choice. Who did you love more?"

"What…kind of question is that?!" Tatsumi yelled and rose to his feet. With tears forming in his eyes, he shouted. "Those were my best friends, and you're asking me who I loved more! Are you insane!? What kind of human asks such a question to a grieving person?!"

''I see…" Acnologia commented with an unfazed face.

He went past Tatsumi and stood at the place below Sayo. When his eyes lay on the dead girl, he had something to say.

"If what he said was true, then her action was quite admirable. Never bowing down to a superior power, even when things seemed hopeless, reminds me of someone I once knew."

Acnologia raised his hand to Sayo's chains and flicked his finger. A blue flame cut right through it, and her body fell until he caught her in his arms.

"Hey! What are you doing?!" Tatsumi asked, both confused and angry. "Leave her alone! She…She never did anything to you!"

"Will you shut up and watch?!" Acnologia yelled back at him. "You humans can be so noisy sometimes, to the point that it's very annoying!"

Tatsumi became quiet, and shuddered. Acnologia's tone was unlike what he had seen from him so far. Meanwhile, Night Raid watched as the black dragon looked back at Sayo and she was suddenly covered in a white aura.

Sayo's body began to be cleanse from the dirt and the blood, and the wounds she sustained began to close. One thing that also shocked everyone was the fact that her limb grew back. When the process was completed, everyone heard her gasp as air rushed into her lungs and her eyes opened.

"Huh...? I'm…alive?" She muttered.

"Sayo!" Tatsumi cried out and rushed over to her.

Acnologia carefully placed her on the floor for her to stand. Sayo stumbled a bit, fortunately Tatsumi caught her in a hug and held her very close to him.

"You're here! You're actually alive!" He said with tears coming from his eyes.

Everyone in Night Raid (minus Lubbock) were shocked at what they witnessed. Being assassins, they knew that no one had the power to bring the dead back to life, and yet here was someone who did it like it was nothing.

Acnologia smiled a bit. "I've got to hand it to you, kid. You hugged a naked human girl and felt no reaction towards it."

Tatsumi's eyes widened, and so did Sayo. The both of them blushed and separated from each other, but not without a repercussion. Sayo screamed and slapped Tatsumi by the face while she screamed and squatted down while using her hands to cover her chest.

"Here…" Acnologia said, throwing his black cloth on her. 'Wear this. You should be okay now until you get some actual clothes.'

"Uh…thanks." Sayo said and covered herself with it.

Now that she was looking up at him, she noticed the scary features of the black dragon. He possessed long blue hair, his skin was dark, and he had blue marks on his face. She should've been scared at him, but she found no reason or feeling to react in such a way.

Sayo stood up with the cloth covering her and turned back to Tatsumi. "Um…sorry about that, Tatsumi."

"No, it's fine." Tatsumi said, blushing in embarrassment. "I…I should've been mindful with what I did. It's just that…I was so happy to see you alive and okay. Maybe now Ieyasu can come back to us too."

"Fat chance, kid. You shouldn't get your hopes up."

Acnologia's statement came to them so dramatically. When Tatsumi and everyone there heard it, they were confused by the meaning behind it, and Sayo went ahead to ask the reason.

"I…don't understand. You brought me back, so you should be able to bring Ieyasu back too, right?"

"I can, but that doesn't mean I should."

Tatsumi was deeply disturbed by this, and he resulted to going on his knees and bowing in front of Acnologia.

"I'm sorry for what I said to you earlier! Please…bring back Ieyasu too!"

Acnologia simply looked away. "Bowing won't change anything, kid. I'm not mad at you. You're just a human child in my eyes."

"Huh? So…why won't you bring back Ieyasu?" Tatsumi asked.

"Because they're consequences for trying to upset the balance of life and death." Acnologia explained. "From where I come from, we have a god called Ankhseram, and he doesn't take kindly to people who dares to bring the dead back to life. Although I never gave a rat's ass about his rules, but I don't plan on getting on his bad side. I only brought your friend back because I figured I should test that power just to see if I was still capable of using it."

"So…I was just a test to you?" Sayo was feeling betrayed.

"Yes…and no." Acnologia answered. "When I was your age, I never had friends or a good family to look up to. It's probably because of my poor upbringing that I became the monster I once was. But…then I met someone who told me the value of having friends. That is why, when I saw Tatsumi in grief over you and Ieyasu's dead bodies, I decided to take the risk and bring at least one of you back."

"Oh…Thank you." Sayo smiled.

"No need to thank me. I think it was the nice thing to do." Acnologia smiled back.

Leone was impressed, and it showed on the smirk on her face. Forget having her butt kicked by the black dragon, she was seeing a chance to actually recruit him, and now that everything was clear, she went over to him.

(LINE BREAK)_

**Oh wow, that was something. First chapter and Sayo has returned back from the grave. **

**Now if anyone's confused by what Acnologia did, I'd advice checking the last few chapters of the manga (unless the anime has finished by the time you're reading this, in that case you might have an idea of what he did). **

**Not to spoil too much, I'll just say that Acnologia has absorbed some power, to the point that he could bring the dead back to life. This was not shown in the anime or manga, but if you know what power he gained, you'd know what he did. I'm only saying this because at the time I'm typing this, the anime hasn't reached its conclusion. **

**I remembered that I originally wanted Aria to be redeemed by Acnologia later on in this story. I later dropped this idea when I saw the reception my other story got when I went ahead to redeem Aria. Some people can't let go of a grudge, apparently. **

**Now one question I'm sure is on your minds is if Acnologia can return to his dragon form. I think that's left to be seen, so I won't spoil that. As for any other questions you may have, please let me know in the reviews. Also, if you enjoyed this fanfic, let me know in the reviews. **

**Lastly, if I were to bring in another Fairy Tail character, who would you want to see. That person cannot be Natsu, Lucy, Gray, Gajeel, Levy or minor characters. **

**Thank you all for reading this fanfiction. Since I'm about to end this here, I just want to ask that if any of you have some level of talent with drawing or some form of art, please contact me through PM. I'm setting up a Youtube channel, and I'd need someone to help with an art. Thank you in advance!**

**See you all in the next chapter! **


	2. Settling with Night Raid

Yo! What's up, my readers! It's your favorite author here with another chapter. I'm so happy that you guys enjoyed the previous chapter very much. Some people recommended some FT characters, with only one person that I ended up agreeing on. I'll explain all that at the end of this chapter.

DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN ANY TV SHOW. CAN ANYONE TELL ME WHY WE DO THIS DISCLAIMERS?

Now on with the chapter.

**Chapter 2: Settling with Night Raid**

The chance was almost there, and Leone knew this better than anyone. Not only was Acnologia able to take on the whole team easily, he was able to help finish their job with the aid of the young lad that was with him. Also, there was the fact that he resurrected a young girl with ease. Someone like him would be very useful in the revolution.

"Oh wow, you handled that really well." Leone said with a smile as she approached him. "Acnologia, was it? I'm Leone nice to –"

The black dragon stopped her by raising his palm close to her face. "Before I exterminate your existence, tell me what you want. Maybe if the answer is good enough, I'll give you a less painful death."

"I-Is he serious?" Sayo asked, both frightened and confused.

"Yes, he is. But…" Tatsumi paused and took a couple of steps towards Acnologia. "…Acnologia, I know you mean well. I see that now that everything has been unfolded, but…she was trying to correct things here too...even if her method aren't something I would approve. But then again I did the exact same thing just now, so…"

"But what about your money?" Acnologia asked without looking at him.

"Money? What's this about money?" Sayo asked.

"Oh, that…" Leone smiled sheepishly. "So, I kind of scammed your friend of his money earlier today. What can I say? I have that kind of charm on young men."

Sayo's expression changed when she looked at Leone's chest and saw her breasts bounce a bit. She knew immediately what had happened, and smacked Tatsumi head from behind

"What was that for?!" Tatsumi yelled back at her.

"You!" Sayo retorted. "You lost some money because of some exhibitionist lady with humongous chest! Pervert!"

"Exhibitionist?!" Leone was offended by the comment.

"Pervert?!" Tatsumi was shocked.

Acnologia sighed and put his arm down. The atmosphere was changing in such a way that the mood in him was gone. "Look, just be sure to pay the brat everything you owe him. Maybe then I won't kill you afterwards."

"What?! But I already spent it!"

Acnologia's eyes suddenly narrowed at her seriously. "Then I'd advise you get to work on repaying him."

"Uh…s-sure."

"Leone." Akame called to her. "What are you doing? The mission is over, and yet…" She paused and looked at Acnologia. "…we've been seen."

"Is there a problem with that?" Acnologia raised his eyebrow.

"Ah, yeah…" Leone said slyly. "You see, we're assassins, so we can't let anyone see us during one of our missions. That's why we either kill them or…force – I mean – ask them to come with us."

"You're a terrible liar." Acnologia told her plainly. "And to the rest of you, if you're going to try and kill me, good luck with that. But just so you know, our next fight will be one-sided, and I'd make sure only one of you survive…barely."

Leone laughed lightly. "You're so funny. That's one of the reasons why I –"

"I'm not laughing." Acnologia interrupted with a stoic face. He then turned his back at her and walked over to Ieysau's corpse. "And if you're talking about having me work with you people, you should get going back to wherever you came from. I don't work with humans."

Leone placed her hands on her hips. "You know, I notice you keep saying that word 'human'. Just because you have a powerful Teigu doesn't mean that you're anything less human yourself."

"Is that right?" Acnologia asked while carrying Ieyasu. "Then it's probably a good thing I don't use a Teigu now."

"That's impossible." Bulat asked while in his armor. "For someone to have such incredible power, it must be some kind of Teigu. No one but you can easily grab my blade and throw me away unharmed."

"Well that's how it is." Acnologia replied.

No one seemed to believe him though. While Tatsumi and Sayo were confused at the thing called Teigu, Acnologia could see on Night Raid's faces that they were unconvinced. Leone decided to change the topic from him, and turned over to Tatsumi.

"So how about you? Want to join us?" Leone asked. "We have a cool hideout with a warm bed, good food by a cute girl, and a lot of things."

"Does one of them include killing?" Tatsumi asked with a grim face. "I…know what I did made it look like I could do what you guys do, but…I'm just one guy."

"No, you're not." Before Tatsumi knew it, she wrapped her arms over his head and pushed his face against her breast. "You've pretty alright, and I can tell it just from standing here. Isn't that right, Acnologia?" She looked over at the black dragon.

"He does have potential." Acnologia was convinced. "You should at least accept their invite for now. You have nowhere else to go, and I doubt you'd be fine with staying in the woods after everything that happened. I'm sure if I wasn't here, she would've dragged you with her anyway."

"See? He gets it." Leone said with a toothy smirk. "Besides, if you're concerned about money then –"

"Don't accept it, Tatsumi!" Sayo interrupted. Her voice caught everyone's attention, and she looked over to Acnologia. "I…I'm thankful for what you did for me. But…Tatsumi is not the kind of person that would kill. We…We want to make it big in the Capital by joining the military. That was always our plan."

"But you've seen what happened here, right?" Acnologia said, and looked away. "There's nothing wrong with having a dream, at least that's what I think now. But…I have to warn you that it will never be achieved. Do you really think Aria's family were the only messed up ones here?"

"I…uh…" Sayo was kind of speechless.

"He's right." Bulat replied. "The Capital isn't the upbeat place you and your friends may have thought. Evil runs rampant because the strong is always oppressing the weak, and that's where we come in. We bring judgement upon the evildoers, and though it isn't heavenly in the slightest, we do what we must because that's how this world is."

"You either kill or be killed." Akame added. "There's no escape from it. Believe me, I know that better than anyone."

Sayo wasn't certain anymore. She wanted to still cling on to that dream that somehow she and Tatsumi could make it through in the Capital. But after everything she's heard, she sadly looked at the floor, almost to the brink of tears.

"Then our village is doomed." She muttered.

"Not exactly." Leone said, removing her arm from Tatsumi. "You can join us and earn some money for your village. I've heard about villages that have been plunged by heavy taxes the Prime Minister imposed. Besides, you might be helping your village by fixing what's wrong with this place."

"I…I don't know if I can do that." Sayo replied with uncertainity.

Acnologia patted her on the head as a sign of comforting her. When the girl looked up at him, she saw him carrying Ieyasu's body on one shoulder and facing the blonde woman, and heard him say. "I don't think they're ready to decide yet. How about we just follow you and have them rest? They've been through much already."

"Okay. I see no problem with that." Leone said, and turned back. "Let's go guys. Mission accomplished."

"Hey! Wait!" Mine shouted as she approached them.

Ever since she was shooting at Acnologia from the woods as a distraction, she remained in that place just in case they needed her help. However, after seeing no real action from her side, she decided to meet up with them, only to see them leaving the shed.

"Hey, did I miss something?!" Mine shouted. The fact that Acnologia was standing surprised her a bit. But she did notice the girl covered in the black dragon's cloth walking next to him. "Hey! I don't think I saw her!"

Sheele placed her hand on her friend's shoulder. "We'll explain back in the hideout." She said.

Mine complied and followed her teammates. They were long gone before the Capital's authorities came to the mansion the next morning.

* * *

Even though it was supposed to be for the night, Tatsumi, Sayo and Acnologia stayed longer than one would've expected. After recovering for the most part over what happened, Sayo and Tatsumi were kneeling in front of a makeshift grave they made for Ieyasu.

The atmosphere for them was mostly gloomy, which was to be expected. As the both of them reflected over their ambition and determination weeks ago, the duo couldn't help but let out some small tears as they stared at their friend's grave.

"…and we even said stuff like that." Tatsumi's voice was noticeably down. "And now…it's just the two of us."

"Yeah…" Sayo muttered.

She was wearing her black and white winter clothes from the village. Acnologia and Leone had gone back to the mansion to get her and Ieyasu stuff, as well as some money that Aria's family kept. Leone was the one who wanted and found the money though.

Their moment was suddenly interrupted when Leone approached Tatsumi from behind and placed her breasts on top of him. Tatsumi was taken aback by it, even to the point of letting out a yelp as he quickly moved away from her.

"What are you doing all of a sudden?!" Tatsumi shouted.

"You guys shouldn't be sulking forever." Leone replied while standing straight. "It's been three days already. Have you made up your mind to join Night Raid?"

Tatsumi's attitude changed, and he looked away from her. Leone turned back to Sayo and saw her looking at the grave depressingly. She then sighed and said. "Look, I think the both of you have talent for killing. This Onee-san believes it."

"Are you really sure about that?" Sayo asked. "I'm good with a bow and arrow, but…I've never killed anyone. Besides, isn't this just about getting Acnologia on you people's side? It won't work even if we decide to join."

"Acnologia huh? Got to be honest, I've given up trying to convince him. Even though I've paid Tatsumi back his money, he really doesn't care about helping us even when I suggested telling him our true goal."

"True goal?" Tatsumi asked.

"You'll learn about it when our boss returns."

"I see."

Just then, Leone went over to him and did to him what she did that night. She wrapped her arm around his neck and began walking away with him. Tatsumi was surprised, but she pretended like it was nothing.

"Let me show you two around. Come on, it's going to be fun." She said.

Sayo saw everything happened and growled. She was really jealous at the size of the girl's breast, and even looked at her chest to compare them. Nonetheless, she followed her friend and the female assassin, and they headed back to the hideout.

* * *

While those two were being introduced to the other members, Acnologia silently listened to them during their interaction. He has barely left his room ever since he came to the hideout, though that didn't mean that he was unable to know a bit more of this group of assassins.

Acnologia's incredible hearing were better than any beast in that world. He basically could hear everything that was going on in the hideout, including that one time Mine privately expressed her disappointed comparison of her breasts to Leone and Sheele.

"What's with humans and breasts anyway?" He thought, and sighed. "I'm getting off topic here. I should be thinking about my next move here."

Acnologia has been in this world since that night. He wasn't sure about his true goal, other than just gather information of this world and think about the rest. He still didn't know much about Teigu, although he did catch Leone and the others talk about their weapons. He guessed from their interactions that those weapons were Teigu, and likely not powered by lacrima.

"Speaking of the lack of Lacrima, this place seems to have an adequate amount of magic power in the air, though not as much as my world. Since I'm the Dragon king, I can draw in the magic around me and still retain my power. I guess it also helps that no one has discovered this yet, probably because no one is skilled enough to sense it. But even if someone has, I doubt they'll be a problem in a real fight against me."

Just then, Acnologia heard the door knocking. He smelt who the person was, and knew immediately the person's identity without leaving his spot. He has been sitting crossed leg on his bed for some time now, so he just called out.

"Open. The door isn't locked." He said.

The doorknob shook before a scream was heard, followed by glasses breaking on the ground. A bit concerned and confused over what happened, the black dragon went over to the door and opened it, and just in time to see what happened.

Sheele was seated on the floor with a bunch of broken plates and some food on the floor. Acnologia raised his eyebrow at her. "What just happened?" He asked.

"I slipped." Sheele replied, though it was obvious that she was embarrassed.

"How did you – You know what? Forget it." Acnologia said and stretched his hand out to her.

Sheele accepted it, and with just a single pull, she was brought back on her feet, though the force did surprise her. Acnologia glanced at the floor sprayed on the floor and said. "I'm guessing that's for me." He said.

"Um…yes, they were um…" Sheele suddenly bow to him. "Sorry. I…I didn't mean to –"

"Nah, it's just food." Acnologia assured her, though his focus was on the food.

Sheele was surprised by his calm reaction until she saw him bent down and pick up the big meat on the floor. She then looked up and watched as the black dragon ate it entirely, including the bone that was in it.

"Not bad." He commented with a small smile.

"You ate that on the floor." Sheele stood straight, and showed her surprise at his action. "Y-You didn't have to do that for my sake. I could've just asked Akame to make another one, though she'd be mad at me again for –"

"No, I didn't do that for your sake." Acnologia interrupted her. "If you've lived as long as I have, some dirt would be the least of your problems. You can just clean the place up and be on your way. Bye."

"O-Okay…"

Acnologia closed the door in front of her, and made his way to his bed. But then he paused and thought over his action earlier. _'Did I do this right? I wonder…'_

He changed his mind and went back to the door, where he then opened it. Sheele was gone, but when he looked down the hall, he could see the young woman walking over there. He could sense a somewhat depressing mood from her, thus he called her.

"Hey! Want to talk or something?!" He asked.

"Huh?!" Sheele responded by coming to a halt. She seemed surprised when she turned back to him. "I was on my way to just get the mop and a broom to –"

"But you want to talk, right?" Acnologia asked. When he received hesitation, he looked down at the food and stepped his leg forward. The entire plates and food remains were covered in blue flames, which burnt everything to the point that nothing remained. "There, I cleaned it for you. Don't make me ask again."

"Uh…sure." Sheele responded by complying.

When she made it inside his room, the black dragon closed it, which intimidated her a bit. She felt like she was entering a different territory, and though she had fought Acnologia before, she knew right away that even with Extase, she won't be able to defend herself. And yet she wanted to speak with him.

"Sorry for asking, but…" She turned back to face him. "How did you know I wanted to talk to you?"

"Your emotions told me. Besides, the fact that you decided to come over here to feed me personally hinted it."

With that, he went over to his bed and sat at its edge. He then lay back on it and stared at the ceiling. "You don't have to worry. I won't hurt you."

"Right…" Sheele replied with mild nervousness. "So I'm Sheele, and you're Acnologia, right? I mean, of course you are. Everyone here knows your name now. It's just that I noticed that you've been in here for most of your time here, and the only one who visited was Leone."

"Yeah, that woman keeps checking on me to see if I would want to join Night Raid. I hope…" Acnologia's tone changed slightly to a threat. "…that isn't why you're here, is it?"

"What?! No! No! No!" Sheele shook her head. "I was just kind of worried. Tatsumi and Sayo came around with Leone since she's introducing everyone around. So when they left, I figured I might as well see who you are since you've been so quiet."

"So you were curious." Acnologia couldn't help but smile. He got up from the bed and added. "I can go weeks without eating, though when I do find something to eat, I tend to go too far. But that's not important now. Mind showing me around here?"

"I don't think I'm the one for that." Sheele replied with mild disappointment. "I…sometimes mess things up."

"That's obvious." Acnologia replied straightaway. "But you have to be good for something if you're in this assassination thing, right?"

"I…Maybe." Sheele answered.

Acnologia noticed the disappointment on her face. She was trying to hide it, but the black dragon to smell it from his own position. "I don't know what's with you, but have some confidence in yourself. You're not stronger than me, but you have potential. That face you're making isn't the one of bloodthirst I felt that night."

"You think I have potential? But…I didn't even –"

"Trust me, none of you can kill me. But I can see something good in a person, and that's something in you. Besides, Tatsumi, Sayo and that big breasted woman, you actually bothered to confront me. I overheard that midget friend of yours suggesting to kill me in my sleep, but I'm not even bothered by that. You can ask Tatsumi. I don't sleep."

"You don't? Then what do you do?"

"I…reflect on the person I used to be." His tone then changed as it drifted off. "However, I'm not sure on what I have to do. Have any suggestion?"

Sheele opened her mouth to object, when she suddenly decided to give it a thought. Looking away for a moment, she tried to think of an answer, but gave up and sighed. "No, nothing. I'm sorry." She said. "I guess you just have to figure it out."

"Hmm, you don't want me to join Night Raid?" He asked.

"I…don't know, but…if you want to then that would be nice."

Acnologia chuckled and went to the door. Before opening it, he grabbed the knob and looked back at Sheele. "You know, you're kind of cute when you do that. Come on, let's go."

"Uh…s-sure." Sheele blushed.

_(LINE BREAK)

Sheele led Acnologia through the hideout. The both of them were mostly quiet, though once in a while she would say where one place is. Acnologia simply acknowledged the places before being led to one other place. They soon came to the training ground, and just in time to see a shirtless Bulat without his armor, swinging a simple spear.

"Oh, that's Bulat." She said upon seeing him.

"Hmm, he's the one that was in the armor, right?" Acnologia asked.

"Yes, how did you –"

"He has the same smell on his like before." With that, Acnologia went over to him. "I hear they call you Bulat."

"Oh, it's you." Bulat replied with a hint of surprise. He struck the tip of the spear to the ground and placed his hands on his hips. "I was beginning to think you wouldn't come out of your room again. Do you exercise too?"

"No, with the way I am, I don't think I need that."

"Really? You must have some confidence in your strength. Can't blame you since you were able to hold us off easily."

"You can say that." Acnologia smiled. He walked past the man and looked around. "I smell Tatsumi, Sayo and that big breasted woman here."

"They were here…" Bulat's voice showed his mild surprise. "How did you know that? Did you 'smell' them like you did with Aria's family."

"Yes." Acnologia turned back to him.

"I see…" Bulat smirked. "Well since you're that way, how about we spar for a bit? I know a good place that we can go all out."

"You want to fight with me?" Acnologia was intrigued by this. "Hmph! I accept your invitation! It's been a while since I stepped up a bit!"

"That's the spirit." Bulat cheered and slapped him on the shoulder.

While the interaction had been going on, Sheele was surprised by Bulat's attitude towards Acnologia. The man was acting like this wasn't the person that fought them with killing intent on that night. It made her realize something about the black dragon, and so a thought came to her.

"Oh, I should mention one thing." Once she got Acnologia's attention, she added. "Bulat is gay, so…"

Acnologia's face seemed to turn white, and he took a few steps away from Bulat. "You…You are to remain three meters away from me at all times." And so he began walking away, but not without pulling his cloth to cover his chest. "Maybe I should get something to wear."

"W-Wait, Acnologia! There's nothing wrong with showing your chest out!" Bulat shouted over to him. "You're just misunderstanding! I'm not saying that because –"

"Three meters!" Acnologia shouted back.

Sheele sheepishly smiled. "Um…sorry."

* * *

After some time passed, and the misunderstanding was cleared up, Bulat and Acnologia were in a meadow, some miles away from the hideout, and standing at the end of the place separately. The place was in the middle of the woods, and made for a good place to have a spar.

"Just before we start, I'm really glad that you accepted my request." He said with his sword in his hand. "But just so we're clear, we're not trying to kill each other."

"I know what a spar is." Acnologia plainly told him.

"Right." With that said, Bulat struck his sword into the ground and shouted. "Incursio!"

The transformation sequence began with the wind picking up, and Acnologia and Sheele witnessing as a huge armored humanoid figure came from behind and swallowed Bulat. When it ended, Bulat stood in his armor as Incuriso.

'_So that's how he transforms.' _Acnologia mentally noted.

Incursio made no time to waste. He charged straight at Acnologia, to which the latter responded by running straight at him. Meanwhile, Sheele watched from the edge of the woods, and witnessed as both their fists made contact, creating a strong shockwave.

Incursio was blown away by Acnologia's fist, but not without landing back on his feet afterwards. He was, however, taken aback when Acnologia showed up in front him and punched him in the gut. The attack was also followed by another punch, which was also effective against Incursio.

Thinking fast, Incursio became invisible and missed Acnologia's next punch. The black dragon sensed him behind him and quickly swung his arm to hit him. However, he missed, and received a punch from Incursio, which sent him flying back.

Incursio caught up with the black dragon, and resumed his attack. He punched him severely while he was unable to touch the ground, and went ahead to punch him three times at the face.

Acnologia wasn't going to let the beating last. His right foot was engulfed in blue flames, and before Incursio knew it, he kicked him right at the stomach and across his front.

"**Black Dragon Sword Edge!"** Acnologia exclaimed and did a flip.

Incursio landed on his feet, and skidded back before coming a stop. He looked forward to face Acnologia, when suddenly he saw him in front of him with both of his hands covered in blue flames.

"**Black Dragon Wing Slash!"** He swung his arms like they were actual wings at Incursio.

The armored assassin barely had enough chance to jump away from the attack. A bit of it scraped him, and also went through the woods behind him, burning down trees in a straight line. When the destruction was clear, there was two destroyed path, with just a row of trees in the middle that remained.

Incursio panted and landed on his feet. He was able to survive that, but he knew that wasn't enough. Acnologia turned over to him and unleashed a fury of flames at his way.

"**Black Dragon Roar!" **

Incursio saw no way of escaping through his normal way. He quickly jumped up and watched from the air as Acnologia's flames burn down the trees in that air. It was stronger than his wing slash earlier, as the difference was the fact that it destroyed the trees better than it.

'_It's just like that night. Is this his idea of sparring?' _Incursio thought.

"Hey!" Acnologia called out. He was in front of him in the air. "Don't start daydreaming when you're facing an enemy!"

The black dragon swung his fiery fist for Incursio's face. Incursio responded by dodging it, and quickly wrapping his arm around it and doing a spin in the air.

"I'm not!" And so he threw the black dragon to the ground.

Seeing that he had a chance now, he opened his palm and allowed his spear to appear in it. He clutched it tightly and came straight down for his sparring opponent with a battle cry.

Sheele witnessed as a strong shockwave went about that area, and even screamed when it reached her. She watched as the dust cloud formed and began to clear, before witnessing what happened.

Acnologia was able to hold back Incursio's spear's blade between his fingers. Incursio and Spear were shocked by the display of strength, while the black dragon himself only seemed to be impressed.

"You caught me off guard. Not many are able to do that and live to tell the tale." Acnologia said.

He suddenly kicked Incursio in the stomach, and the armored assassin was flown back. He landed a few feet away and suddenly groaned before clutching his stomach. To his shock, there was a dent on his armor, which he saw before looking back at Acnologia.

"Do you want to go on?" The black dragon said amusedly. "I should warn you. I…" His face was suddenly and partially covered by black dragon scales. "…might end up stepping up just a bit."

Sheele and Incursio gasped, and it was for a good reason. Though he made no physical attack, the tension coming from him was incredibly strong just from where they were individually standing. However, before any of them could respond to it, there was a loud squawk in the air, and it was coming close.

An Evil Bird was approaching Acnologia and Incursio, when it suddenly switched his movement over to Sheele. The bed was a giant one, blue feathers and red eyes, and when it caught up to Sheele, it was so fast that it caught her in one of its legs and flew off.

"It took her!" Incursio exclaimed.

Just then, they heard a voice and it was Leone. Looking at the direction, they saw Lubbock, Sheele, Tatsumi and Sayo approaching them. When they came over to them, Leone seemed the angriest amongst them as she watched the bird flying away.

"Hey! Come back here with her! Like hell I'll let you eat her!" Leone yelled.

"Let me handle this…" Acnologia said and went past her.

One thing she noticed immediately was the sense of bloodlust from him. The black dragon's mood was entirely different from before, and he showed it through his words when he came to a stop, which became deeper and menacing than before.

"**Just when I was getting in to the spar, that bird dared to interrupt me. And worst of all…it dared to kidnap someone in my presence." **His eyes suddenly became dark blue. **"Unforgiveable!" **

The power coming from him suddenly became physical. Powerful wind swirled around him and covered his entire body, before pushing against everyone that was presently there. Acnologia's body became covered his scales as his fingernails and toenails became long and sharper than before. Along with that, two black wings sprouted out of his back, with a long tail that followed and struck the ground.

Just standing close to Acnologia proved to be intense, but fortunately he didn't go all the way. When the change was complete, Acnologia still remained somewhat human, but with dragon scales and other parts of a dragon.

"What the heck was…" Leone didn't get to finish.

Acnologia opened his wings, which suddenly a strong wind against her and the others. When he took off from the ground, the wind was stronger and threatened to push Leone and Incursio away. Sayo and Tatsumi fell to the ground, but not without witnessing what happened afterwards.

Sheele was struggling to get out of the Evil Bird's grip, when suddenly she noticed something coming for them. She wasn't able to comprehend it though, because it cut right through the bird's knee, causing her to begin falling to the ground with it.

The leg came loose around her, but did nothing to change her descent. Of course, she screamed, but even that was over when the same blur caught her in his arms and flew her back to the others. It wasn't until she was able to touch the ground again that she saw that she saw who it was.

"Acnologia…" She called out, surprised.

"**Hold on…" **Acnologia said, and for a good reason.

"It's coming back!" Tatsumi shouted.

He was right about that. Though it lacked one leg, the Danger Beast was very angry about losing that part of him. But that changed when Acnologia turned back to it and the scary expression on its face made it realize its biggest mistake.

"**Do this Dragon King a favor and die." **

With that, Acnologia nodded his head against the monster's sharp break with ease. The Evil Bird felt its entire body suddenly become numb before hitting the ground and feeling the shockwave that tore through it. The Danger Beast didn't even have the chance to scream, because it died immediately after.

"I-Incredible…" Sayo said with a shock look on her face. The same was for everyone that watched it.

"With just his forehead…he took down that Danger Beast." Leone muttered.

Acnologia turned back to them, and ceased his partial dragon transformation with ease. It was only afterwards that he looked over to Sheele.

"You okay?" He asked.

"Uh…yes. Thank you." Sheele answered.

"Good, because I'm hungry." Acnologia replied, and grabbed the Danger Beast by its beak. "This one's mine…Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to have that Akame girl cook this. Come with me."

Sheele showed no protest as she watched the black dragon pull the Danger Beast with ease across the ground. In fact, she followed him without saying a word to the others, though that didn't change the abnormalities of the incident that happened.

"Hmph, and here I thought he'd be boring." Leone said and smirked.

"You don't say…" said another voice.

Bulat and Leone recognized it and looked behind to see her. It was Najenda, their leader.

"Looks like our guest is something very intriguing." She said with an impressive smile. "Mind if we…talk for a bit, Leone. I heard what you did at your last mission."

"Uh oh." Leone knew that she was in trouble.

* * *

Night settled down, but not without everyone gathered in the meeting room. Najenda, Night Raid's leader, was seated in front of them, and after listening to Tatsumi's story, she understood him very well. Acnologia studied the mood while standing a bit far away from the others. He needed information, after all.

"I see." Najenda responded calmly. "I understand the situation completely. Tatsumi, Sayo, would be the both of you like to join Night Raid?"

"We're dead if we decline, right?" Sayo asked.

Najenda glanced at Acnologia, and for a moment, the both of them made eye-contact. She showed no reaction to it, thus she looked back at the duo in front of her.

"Even without your friend standing by, we wouldn't have the both of you killed. But we can't let any of you go back. We'll have the both of you work as laborers here." She explained. "At any rate, you won't die even if you decline. Given that…what do you think?"

"I…" Sayo was hesitant. "I think I can just stay that way. I…I can't imagine myself taking a life. Besides…" She found it difficult to continue.

Tatsumi understood her reaction, and tightened his fist to find his resolve. "We were planning to go to the Capital and become successful, to save our village, which is suffering from poverty. But even the Imperial Capital is rotting."

"The countryside's poor and suffering because the center's rotten." Bulat said from his spot at a pillar. "We told you what we could that night. Don't you want to uproot the source of the rot? As a man, that is."

"Bulat was originally a skilled imperial soldier." Najenda informed Tatsumi and Sayo. "But he learned of the empire's corruption and became one of us."

Acnologia was kind of impressed. "Is that so?" He asked from his place. "If you're as strong as you showed in our spar, perhaps there's someone stronger just waiting for me out there."

"You have no idea." Bulat smiled. His mind briefly flashed to Esdeath, the strongest in the empire. "After all, our work is to eliminate the evildoers in the Capital. It's much better than working under those rotten people."

"But, even if you just kill bad guys little by little, the world won't change greatly, will it?" Tatsumi asked. "In the end, places in remote regions like our village won't be saved."

"I see. Then Night Raid fits you even more perfectly." And so, Najenda went on to explain their true goal. "Far south of the Capital, there's the hideout of an anti-empirical force, The Revolutionary Army."

"Revolutionary Army?" Sayo asked.

Najenda continued. "The Revolutionary Army, which started out small, has grown into a large scale organization by now. Then, inevitably, a unit to handle covert jobs such as assassination and information gathering was created. That's us, Night Raid."

Sayo and Tatsumi were surprised by this revelation. Acnologia, on the other hand, was intrigued by this information, and remained quiet as Najenda went on to explain.

"Right now we're exterminating the Capital's ticks, but in the event that the army takes action, we'll take advantage of the confusion, and the Prime Minister, who is the cause of the corruption will be taken out by us."

"Take out…" Tatsumi said.

"…The Prime Minister." Sayo added.

"That's our goal." She said with a smirk. "Although I can't say anything specific about when they'll rise to take action, we've prepared a plan to win. When that time comes, this country will change for sure."

Tatsumi and Sayo were silent on what to say. Najenda's revelation sounded too good to be true, and yet it made them hesitate to ask. It was only Tatsumi that found the resolve to ask the question on his mind.

"Will that new country treat the people well?"

"I see." Tatsumi tone soon changed. "Awesome…So the killing you're doing now is just targeting bad guys to clean out the trash." And so, with a happy grin, he exclaimed. "It's what they call assassins of justice, right?!"

A silence later, and suddenly everyone besides Sayo and Najenda laughed out loud. Tatsumi was taken aback by it, and even rashly questioned their sudden action. Sayo simply just shook her head as she already figured out their reason.

"Tatsumi…" Acnologia called out to him. Before Leone even had the chance to speak, he beat her to it. "As much as their action sounds justified, in the end, it's all still murder. There's no real justice in this, and I'm willing to bet that everyone here is ready to die for what they've done."

"You sure spoke the words right out our mouth." Leone said. "If I don't know any better, you've had your own share of murders."

"You're not wrong there." Acnologia stood up from the pillar he was lying on. "I've taken more lives than any of you will take in your entire life. So believe me, I know what it means to receive retribution."

"Hmph!" Mine was suspicious, and she looked over to Najenda. "Are you sure we should allow him to be here? He could be a spy from the Prime Minister."

"If I was a spy, you people would be dead upon meeting me. You really are a dumb midget, aren't you, Mine?" Acnologia plainly asked.

"Hey! Don't call me a midget, you long-haired freak! Ever heard of the groomers lately?!" She yelled at him.

"I have, but at least I'm not the one who wears pink and has a hot-temper!"

"What did you say to me?! Don't make me blast you to bits, flame-brain!" She immediately marched over to him, growling.

"Bring it on, brat!" Acnologia dared her, and pointed to his mouth. "I was looking for dessert after having that Evil Bird for dinner!"

Everyone at this point could see the comedic tension between the two. Even as Mine and Acnologia's eyes met, there was this cartoonish lightning from both of them clashed and pushed against each other. It was only Najenda that bothered to calm them down.

"That's enough, you two! We're in a meeting here!"

Acnologia and Mine huffed and looked away. "Whatever!" Both said at the same time.

Najenda sighed. "So, Tatsumi, Sayo…" She decided to continue from where she was interrupted. "After knowing all of this, will your opinion still stay the same?"

Tatsumi glanced over at Sayo, and the same went for the girl. The both of them stared at each other's eyes, and nodded in unison.

"We'll do it!" Tatsumi exclaimed with determination. "Let us join Night Raid! If it's a big goal like that, Ieyasu would have done the same!"

"Are you sure about that?" Najenda asked, but not at Tatsumi. "Sayo, you said you'd work as a laborer here. Am I to assume that you have changed your mind?"

"Yes." Sayo said, and gripped her dress. "Even though Ieyasu is not here with us anymore, I will keep our dream to save our village with Tatsumi. There's no way I can back down, even after hearing all of that. I might not be able to kill someone, but…I will fight nonetheless, and help in any way that I can."

Acnologia was impressed to hear that, and smiled. _'So it was the right choice to bring her back, not that I had doubt about it. The power of having one's comrade and friend by your side is no doubt strong in them. I wonder what the son of the Fire Dragon is doing now.'_

"You might be unable to freely return to your village though." Mine informed Sayo and Tatsumi.

"That's fine." Sayo replied.

"Yes. As long as everyone in the village can be happy though that, we'll fight for their sake." Tatsumi added.

"It's decided." Najenda said, and reached her hand towards the duo. "Welcome to the path of carnage, Tatsumi and Sayo."

_(line break)_

Everything soon changed when Lubbock's Teigu detected intruders. Najenda was quick to order her assassins to go and eliminate them, and Tatsumi followed suit. Sayo was about to join him, when suddenly Acnologia grabbed her shoulder and pulled her back.

"You're with me." He said.

"Oh?" Najenda was intrigued. "So you're going to join them? I assumed you wouldn't want to join us. That was what Leone informed me after he attempts to have you join."

"I'm not joining, but I won't lie that your goal intrigues me." Acnologia acknowledged, and added. "However, I believe humanity's problems should be handled by humans alone. If I truly joined, the result would be devastating to both sides."

Najenda was puzzled by this, and it showed on her face. Even Sayo was confused by his action, before watching the black dragon walk towards the door.

"Follow me. You have much to learn, Sayo." He said.

* * *

Each member of Night Raid were dealing with the intruders very swiftly. Akame was able to cut down a good number of them from her own side of the woods. Mine and Sheele dealt with their own share, and Leone beat up the ones that showed up.

Lubbock was dealing with his own share of the intruders. It was a young woman who was suspended from the air by his threads clinging on to her body while in a cave. She was in pain, as she could feel the threads digging into her skin, causing her to whimper.

"I thought the weight of the thread was light, but it was a girl." Lubbock said and pulled on his threads. It made it worse for the woman, who screamed.

"Save me, please! I'll do anything!" She begged him.

"Nooope." Lubbock refused with a straight face. "I knew a guy who died by getting tricked by seduction."

And so he made his threads to dig into her body, causing her unspeakable pain as she screamed. He then let her go, and allowed her corpse to hit the floor.

"Ah, what a waste." Lubbock looked back at her corpse, and began walking away. "It's such a painful occupation in times like these!"

And so he left her like that without a single thought afterwards. The silence in the cave was quiet until an echoed stomp ruined it, and revealed the two people that were there.

Sayo came down from Acnologia's back, and looked over to the corpse that lay in front of them. Since the time Lubbock came and left, they had witnessed her death, which was entirely scary to Sayo. And here she believed Lubbock was harmless after watching Leone twist his arm earlier that day.

"So horrible…" Sayo whispered with a sad voice. "Even though she begged, he…he killed her…"

"That's the life of an assassin." Acnologia responded calmly. "Though she looked innocent, some humans would say anything to get out of that situation. You can't fully trust their words without considering the possible consequences. Good thing for her sake I have some use for her."

"What do you mean?" Sayo was puzzled.

"Before she could give up her ghost at the very second, I froze her heart and mind to preserve her. Right now she's frozen in time, just waiting for me to return her to reality. But if I do that, she'll just die immediately."

"I see." Sayo replied understandably. "But why couldn't you have done that with Ieyasu? You said that –"

"Ieyasu died before I could even try out that power." Acnologia replied to her, and took a few steps towards the corpse. "Even now I'm still learning how to handle the remains of the ravines of time that I absorbed back then. If I knew I could do this, I would've saved your friend."

"I…understand." Sayo admitted, but it wasn't easy for her. "So you're going to save her?"

"Yes, but first I have to repair her body."

And so he raised his hand at her and grabbed the air like he was holding a doorknob. He then twisted it to the right with his hand glowing green, and the result was shown on the 'corpse' body.

The intruder's wounds closed up, and her entire body returned to a good condition prior to that time. Acnologia then snapped his finger, and the girl's eyes widened before she screamed.

"I-It hurts! AHHHHH!" She screamed.

Sayo was shaken by it, but Acnologia pushed his hand to her to keep her at bay. The intruder realized a second later that she was on the floor. Surprising enough for her, when she sat up, she saw that her body was alright, like none of the traumatic experience happened.

"I'm…fine?" She was surprised.

"Yes, but it doesn't come without repayment." Acnologia answered, and got her attention. "I am Acnologia, and you will be serving me from this day onwards."

"W-What?!" The girl was taken aback. "What are you talking about?! Aren't you with Night Raid?!"

"If I was, you would've been dead by now, but you're not, are you?" His eyes were staring at her threateningly. "You came here because finding out the information about Night Raid would be profitable to your employer. I'm assuming that the employer is the Prime Minister."

"Yes, that is right. But…why me?" She asked.

"Because you seem the least likely to betray me, not that it'd be much of a problem. I just don't want to be bothered with tracking and killing you on the spot."

That response was enough to keep the fear and intimidation in the young woman. Acnologia could see and sense them in her, and said. "Now let me make this clear. I have no doubt that you cannot be trusted. But I need information, and if you dare to betray me, I'll end your life without hesitation."

"That's your goal?" It was Sayo that asked. "Acnologia, does this mean that you're going to help –"

"No. At least not in the way you might be thinking." Acnologia interrupted her. "But if I do nothing, I'll just get bored. I need information about the monarchy and everything that goes on within the palace's walls."

"Then you'll kill her." Saying that made Sayo's stomach to turn.

"Only if she doesn't betray me. Whether she's pregnant or not won't change my mind."

"Pregnant?!" Sayo shouted in shock, and turned over to the woman. "You're pregnant?!"

"I-I don't know! I mean I suspected that I might be after what a few of my tribesmen did to me, but –"

"That doesn't change anything." Acnologia interrupted with a serious face. "Now that you know about it, you have no other choice but to serve me until I have no use of you. But fear not. There comes a reward in this."

"A…reward?" She asked.

Sayo was also curious about this, and listened to what Acnologia had to say. His tone changed, but he was still serious.

"In exchange for helping me, I will grant you freedom, and a chance to restart your life in any way you want. So if you want to raise your child in peace, I'll ensure that you have the opportunity to raise her in a comfortable and peaceful town."

"It's a girl?" She asked. Acnologia made no attempt to answer her. All she got was a short pause from him, before standing up and bowing in front of him. "Okay, master. I humbly accept your offer."

"Good." Acnologia smiled a bit. "What's your name?"

"Mia."

Acnologia was fine with the name. "Well, Mia. We have some things to work out first."

* * *

Following the pursuit of the intruders, Bulat and Tatsumi were able to form a good bond with each other. The former informed Tatsumi to stay hidden at a certain spot since he believed that an enemy would run through the area he was in. However, after hiding behind a bush for a long time and only seeing a rabbit passing by, he was beginning to feel bored.

Just then, a wolfman leapt to his place in front of her, and the teen quickly got up and drew out his sword. This was going to be his first real confrontation with a killer, and he knew he'd have to be resolved or else he'll be killed.

Fortunately, his resolve was strong when he slashed his sword across the wolfman's chest. Thus, with a loud voice that was burning with determination, he exclaimed. "How's that…With Sayo…and Ieyasu…The three of us…THESE ARE THE MOVES THAT WE BUILT UP!"

With that said, he sheathed his sword and looked down at the wolfman. He was bleeding, when he decided to beg for his life with a pitiful look on his beastly face.

"I beg of you! Let me go! If I die, my village –"

'_This guy's also fighting for his hometown?!' _Tatsumi was shocked to hear. _'But should I –'_

The teen was unable to finish because of the wolfman. The intruder was able to use Tatsumi's moment of weakness to grab his sword that was on the ground and return back on his feet to kill him.

"HAHAHAHA! You're naïve young boy! I'll have you die for my clan!"

Tatsumi was caught off guard, and was about to be killed. However, the scene changed when Acnologia appeared in front of him and used his fingers like a scissors to cut the intruder's sword in half.

"W-What the –" The wolfman was surprised and quick to recover. He threw a punch for Acnologia's face. "Get out of my way!"

Acnologia was unfazed, and successfully grabbed the intruder's fist with ease. He even went ahead to twist it to the point that it began to pain the wolfman. He cried out from the pressure, but was quick to swing another punch at the black dragon's face.

"Let go!" His fist made contact with Acnologia's cheek.

The black dragon was still unfazed by his punch. When the wolfman saw the deadly look in his eyes, he withdrew his punch and begged for his life.

"W-Wait, please let me go! I'm sorry for tricking the lad! I swear I'll never –"

Acnologia stopped him by raising his palm close to his face. The wolfman was confused, and even asked about it. "H-Hey, what are you going to do?!"

"Erase." Acnologia said.

The intruder's body was suddenly encased in a purple aura, and suddenly he began to turn into sparking dust. He screamed out in pain and continued to beg for his life, but it was all in vain. Tatsumi was horrified at the gruesome sight, and watched with Akame behind him as the intruder was wiped out of existence. There was no blood, no corpse or any other sign of a dead man. It was like the guy was never there.

"What was that?" Tatsumi asked.

"Instant death." Acnologia answered, and turned sideways to him. "Not only is he gone, but anyone that has his blood has been wiped out of existence. Pathetic things like him have no right to live."

That was a lot to comprehend for Tatsumi. Even Akame was surprised by it, as all she could do was stare at the black dragon.

"I think that was the last of them." Acnologia said, and began walking away. "But before I go, I have this to say…" He paused next to Tatsumi. "Unless you're as strong as me, don't ever give your enemy the chance to kill you. Next time I won't save you, nor will I bring you back from the dead, so keep that in mind."

Tatsumi could only nod in response. His mind was trying to comprehend what just happened and what the black dragon told him. Acnologia could tell from his expression that he needed time on his own, thus he walked away from him and past Akame.

"I'll be in the hideout. Call me when something actually important happens."

Akame made no attempt to respond. While she was used to all sorts of means of murder, there was just something scary about Acnologia's way of killing someone.

'_Does that mean that…?' _Her eyes widened, and she remembered that night Acnologia raised his hand at Leone that night. _'He was planning to use the same thing on Leone?! If Tatsumi had not talked him out of it, then Leone would've died too…' _She paused and turned back to see him. He was already gone from her line of enhanced vision. _'Acnologia, just what are you?' _

* * *

**Boy that was a lot to write. Acnologia is just full of surprises, isn't he? **

**Now before I get to what I said about adding an FT character to the story, I have some things to say. **

**I once wrote a crossover that had Ieyasu survive that unfortunate night and fight alongside Tatsumi. So now that I got to write that scene again, I'm glad I got to use Sayo since it gives this alternate timeline feeling (No, this is not connected to any of my fanfictions).**

**It really looks like Acnologia is getting comfortable with Night Raid. I have decided that Sheele and Leone would be part of this pairing for Acnologia, while Akame would probably build a strong friendship with him (I'm not going to spoil anything). **

**Also, for Dragon Ball Super fans, yes, Acnologia used something similar to Hakai on that wolfman. His mood at the time he met that guy was similar to when he met Aria and her family. He just believes people like them should be erased from existence. If you're wondering how he could to that, it's thanks to the small power of time and space that he has. **

**Thank you everyone that reviewed the previous chapter. I loved seeing your great interest and excitement for this fanfiction. If I had made this fanfiction last year, I'm sure we would've been in some really good action scenes by now. **

**So which Fairy Tail character will be in the fanfiction? I won't say much on the details, but I will say that it will be the son of Igneel…Ignia (the other son of Igneel. Lol) **

**For those of you who haven't read Fairy Tail's sequel, there are these beings known as god dragons, and they're believed to be stronger than Acnologia. Do you want Ignia to be in the fanfiction? Let me know in the reviews. **

**Before I end this, I should mention that I'm aware that Leone's regeneration in the previous chapter is not as good as it is in the anime/manga. I only made it the way it was because it was important that she remained in that scene. I'll make sure that I stick with the canon's regeneration. **

**I think this is where I stop for now. Thank you for reading this chapter. Please let me know your thoughts in the next chapter. Bye!**


	3. Return Of The Spriggans

**Hello there, my lovely readers! Hope you're having a wonderful day/night. Welcome back to this fanfiction. I don't know if I should say this, but I should just in case. This fanfiction contains spoilers for Fairy Tail's last arc, so if you haven't read the manga and you don't want to be spoiled, please turn back now. But if you're fine with spoilers, then please go ahead. Thank you.**

**I really appreciate the feedback I got. After reading some readers concerns, I've decided not to add the Dragon Gods. Instead, we'll have two Fairy Tail villains showing up. Who are they, you ask? Keep reading to find out. **

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN ANY TV SHOW. CAN ANYONE TELL ME WHY WE DO THIS DISCLAIMERS?**

**Now on with the chapter. **

**Chapter 3: Return of the Spriggans **

Tatsumi was reminiscing about the past. At times like this, he kind of envied it, and wished that things had remained the way they were. Sayo taught him how to cook alongside his other best friend, Ieyasu. Sadly, he was kind of regretting that now.

'_Sayo…Ieyasu…I'm happy that I learned to cook. But…' _His attitude changed to pure annoyance as he clutched the bowl of rice in his hand. _'Thanks to that, I'm treated like a cook, especially to the one who taught me!'_

"More!" Exclaimed the other members of Night Raid and Acnologia.

Due to an arrangement by Najenda, Tatsumi was put in the care of Akame, which meant that he had to cook alongside her. Now he was in the kitchen, dishing everyone's food while they enjoyed themselves on the table.

After breakfast was over, Tatsumi was peeling a fruit with a clear set of frustration in his eyes. He complained about being an assassin, and yet be subjected to cooking. Akame understood his concern and decided to ease his mind in her own way.

"It can't be helped." She said. "I am responsible for cooking the base's meal, so naturally that duty falls on you."

Tatsumi turned his head to her, He doubted her. "Where is all the cooking though? All I see is you 'sampling' the ingredients."

"That is not true." Akame replied and munch on a fruit.

"You suck at lying, you know."

Mine's voice suddenly caught his attention. "You know for a newcomer, a cook's apron fits you." She said.

Tatsumi took offense to that. Mine was using the apron he was wearing to make fun of him. But when he turned over to her, he noticed Bulat, Sheele and Lubbock standing behind her.

"Huh? Are you all going somewhere?" He asked, confused.

"Yep." Mine answered. "A quest to kill someone in the Capital came in."

Tatsumi thought about it and remembered something Najenda had told him. Night Raid does receive requests from the public to carryout assassinations in the Capital. She also mentioned that they will find something for him to do. But he has to expect being called upon one day.

"Please take good care of the place while we're gone." Sheele said pleasantly.

Mine, on the other hand, pointed at him and laughed. "Akame and the new guy are house maids! So just stay here and chop cucumbers!"

'_Why does she feel the need to be so overbearing?!' _Tatsumi thought in annoyance.

Mine and the three others then left. Sayo arrived upon passing them, and stood by the doorway, where she saw Tatsumi growling. She had overheard and seen what had happened, and shook her head.

"Ignore her, Tatsumi. She's just an annoying brat." She said.

"That's easy for you to say. You're going to be trained by Acnologia." Tatsumi replied, and regretted it. "Sorry…It's just that –"

"I know. You don't have to apologize." Sayo assured him and walked over to him. "Try to take it easy. As much fun as it might sound being trained by Acnologia, I have this nervous feeling it won't be easy."

"Of course, it won't be." Acnologia said from the doorway. His sudden presence surprised Tatsumi and Sayo. "Now come with me. I have much training for you."

"Oh right." With that, Sayo turned her back on Tatsumi to leave.

"Hey, wait." Tatsumi said, interrupting the two of them. "I never got to know. What is it that you want to train her? Maybe I can join in when the time comes."

Acnologia stared at Tatsumi and walked away without a word. Tatsumi was a bit taken aback by it, and even huffed at his departing figure.

"That was rude." He said.

"Sorry." Sayo apologized for Acnologia. "Well, I'll be off. See you later, Tatsumi."

"Oh yeah, sure."

With that, the two friends waved at each other, before it was just him and Akame. The female assassin had seen it all, and decided then to untie her pony tail and the apron. It was time for them to make their move.

"Now we shall go take some lives." She said.

"You're taking about hunting for dinner, aren't you?" Tatsumi asked with a tone that wasn't expecting much.

"Oh good, you understand."

Tatsumi sighed and removed his apron. "No offense, but I kind of wish I was in Sayo's place." He said.

It was last night. After dealing with the intruders, everyone in Night Raid, including Acnologia, Tatsumi and Sayo were at a short victory party the group were having outside the hideout's building. Leone, Mine, Sheele and Bulat were in the mood of merrymaking, while Najenda discussed with Tatsumi about his performance. Akame would be the one to train him, which he wasn't so happy to hear.

"Wait, what about Sayo?" Tatsumi asked.

"Me?" Sayo was with the others enjoying the time with the others when she heard her name.

"Good question." Najenda said from her spot. She gave it a thought, and decided on someone. "Sayo can be taught by –"

"Me." Acnologia stood behind her, causing her to shriek. The mean look in his eyes said it all about his decision. "I shall be the one to train her."

"Oh?" Najenda was intrigued. "So am I to assume that you're finally joining Night Raid?"

"No. Human problems should be handled by humans." Acnologia answered.

Najenda almost dismissed that statement if not for one thing. "I heard from Leone that you seem to call others humans. Why do you do that? You look human to me, does it have to do with the nature of your Teigu?"

"I have no Teigu." Acnologia told her. "The longer you humans understand that, the better."

"But I can't have you train her without being a member." Najenda informed him. "Akame told me what you did to an intruder. You used some power or technique to…erase him. I wouldn't have believed it if it weren't the fact that I trust her reports. So tell me, what do you use if it isn't a Teigu?"

"Magic."

* * *

'_He said magic, and yet that's pretty vague.' _Tatsumi thought while following Akame from behind. _'The boss didn't bother asking about it. She even allowed Acnologia to train Sayo, though I can't blame her. That guy…he's pretty strong and scary. I just hope that he doesn't turn against us one day.'_

* * *

Acnologia was flying through the air while using his partial dragon form. In his arms was Sayo, whom was clutching to him as she felt the wind blow against her face. Never had she been flown in the air at all, and now that she has, it was pretty scary. Fortunately, the reached their destination, which was at the footstep of a mountain.

"We're here." Acnologia announced upon landing on the ground. "At least now we can have some privacy from that big chested woman."

"You mean Leone?" Sayo asked upon getting off the black dragon.

"Yes." Acnologia said and began walking away. "That white haired woman thinks that I'm stupid. I knew she'd try to have that exhibitionist human spy on us. She should count herself lucky that I haven't killed her for that."

"Um…right." Sayo was uncertain on what to say. She then looked at the mountain, and became confused. "Sorry, but why are we here? Do we need to be at this place for me to train?"

"Yes, and for something else." Acnologia came to a halt. "You've been quiet about the woman I saved. Why?"

"I…I guess I just pitied her." Sayo responded by looking down to the ground and holding her hands. "Night Raid was right to do what they have to do, but…that woman was pregnant and yet Lubbock –"

"That human had no idea that she was pregnant, though that wouldn't have changed anything."

"It wouldn't? So he would've killed her anyway?"

Acnologia let his silence to answer that. After a short pause, he turned back to her and said. "She's fine now. I took her away without anyone noticing last night. From that moment onwards, she'll be my eyes and ears in the Imperial Palace."

"I see. But won't she be in danger? Also, how can she get into the Imperial Palace? I saw the walls when I was with Ieyasu and the walls is huge –"

"You ask too much questions."

"Um…sorry."

Acnologia sighed. "Leave her circumstances to me. We have your training to be concerned about that. I'm going to teach you Spatial Magic, specifically Equip: The Archer."

"I don't understand."

"Then it's about time you know some things about me, so you can wield this magic and fight alongside your friend." To emphasize his point he raised his hand up and clutched it into a fist. "Once you master it, not even the strongest in this world will be able to defeat you."

Sayo was amazed, and it showed on her face. She may not know the type of magic he was talking about, but it was becoming an interesting subject to her already.

"Please…teach me." She bowed before Acnologia.

"I will, so you better listen to what I'm going to tell you."

"Yes, master."

* * *

Something about waking up from consciousness was unexplainable. The last thing she remembered was stabbing herself right before her daughter and the dragon slayer with her. She couldn't bear to hurt her smiling daughter anymore.

So why was a groan escaping her mouth? She should be dead, right? One thing she figured that would be the aftermath would be suffering. She did cause pain and suffering to an uncountable number of people. She certainly didn't deserve a second chance – at least that's what she figured.

But she could hear whispering before opening her eyes to see her surroundings and wincing to the light at her eyes. It took just a few seconds before her sight became adjusted to it, and she was shocked at her position.

Stripped to the point of having no clothes, Irene Belserion found that her arms and legs were bound to a bed by chains with both limbs separated from one another. What made it worse were the fact that there were naked old men standing around her, with many of them holding their stiff private part in their hand.

"She's finally awake!"

"Good! The fun part can now begin!"

"I can't wait! I want to hug those huge breasts with all of my body!"

These were the words said by the few that Irene could hear amidst the mixed excitement by the old men.

'_Where is this place? Am I dead? If so, is this the afterlife, where I must pay for what I've done?' _She wondered and took in a deep breath. _'Odd…I don't think the afterlife would need air for body parts like lungs.'_

"So she really is awake." Said one distinct voice. Whoever he was, his voice was able to shut the mumbling men, before he walked over to Irene's side, wearing a suit and having a big smile on his face. "I was wondering if we'd have to surprise you by getting on with the show."

"Where is this place? Who are you?" Irene asked him.

"Huh, you're quite calm for someone in your predicament, or is it possible that you look forward to the fun party we're about to begin?" He received no response, but continued. "That does not matter. Right now you're underneath my special workplace in the Capital."

"A Capital? Where exactly is that?"

The man laughed, and stretched his arms apart. "Do you not see your surroundings?! The last thing that should be in your mind is the empire! You're about to serve this men here, so I'd advice that you play it nice so all of us can enjoy yourself!"

"I see. So I guess there are fools like you that still exist."

Before the man could question that, he and the other men were shocked at what happened. The chains holding Irene turned into dust. She then went ahead to sit up and rub her wrists and ankles.

"What the hell?! What did you do?!" The man shouted. His customers were also shocked at what happened.

Irene chose to ignore his questions, and look at him with deadly eyes. "How many people does it require to get the information I need?" When she received no response, she smirked a bit. "One."

Fast forward to a few seconds later, the man/the owner of the place was scurrying backwards from Irene. His hands hit a body before he screamed. It was the dead body of one of his many customers that now lay on the floor.

Irene got up from the bed and clutched her fists. Her normal attire and staff returned back to her, before she proceeded to walk over the scared man on the floor.

"Now then, let's have a little conversation." She said.

"Pl-Please, don't kill me!" The man begged. "I didn't know you could do that! Have mercy!"

"Mercy?" Irene paused and looked around the blood covered bodies on the floor. "From the looks of it, these old men did horrible things to women before me. So…" She bent down and picked him by the neck. "…I advise you start praying to whatever god you serve, because my mood will depend on the information you give me."

The man had no other choice but to comply. He told Irene everything that he believed would be important for her to know. Apparently, he found her on the floor of one of his business places unconscious, and decided to bring her to the basement like he did with other women. Irene wasn't pleased to hear that part.

Few minutes later, she emerged from the front door of the place. She was in the business center of the Capital, when she tapped the bottom of her staff and began to walk away. The entire building she was in erupted into a huge explosion, and attracted the attention of the people around.

She paid them no hid, but did come to a stop. There was something very odd in the air that she hadn't noticed before.

'_I sense something; a presence I haven't felt since…' _Irene's eyes widened before a smile dawned that face. _'Well…looks like I'm not the only one to have passed away. And it would appear that we aren't alone, Dragon King.'_

* * *

"In the end, Tatsumi caught only two…" Leone said.

The time had reached evening, and the sun was about to set. Those who weren't on a mission were seated at the dining table, which they were gradually eating. As for the reason for Leone's comment, apparently Tatsumi caught only two fishes when he and Akame went to get some fishes.

"For his first time, he did well." Najenda complimented as she ate her food.

"But didn't you say, 'bring it on' as you were undressing?" Leone asked Tatsumi amusedly.

"Not good enough." Akame said.

'_Shit, she doesn't think much of me at all…' _Tatsumi thought while staring at Akame. The female assassin was busy staring at a fish head she wanted to eat. _'And I can never tell what she's thinking either…I'm weak…Perhaps, that's why Acnologia chose not to train me too.' _

Speaking of the black dragon, he arrived to the kitchen unannounced and sat by a chair next to Akame. At that moment the two of them made eye contact, before he decided to break the silence.

"Are you going to eat that or – " Akame moved the fish head to her side. "I take that as a maybe."

"Well look who decided to join us." Leone said with a smile. She then noticed someone's absence. "Wait, where's Sayo?"

"She's resting. She said something about having a sore body during our training." Acnologia said and began picking some of the dishes on the table to a plate of his on.

"Oh?" Leone smiled slyly. "Well…I hope you didn't end up going too far with her. She's way too young for that kind of commitment with you. By the way, how old are you?"

Water shot out of Tatsumi's nose when he took in some water. He coughed a few seconds later, and turned to Acnologia. "Wait, tell you didn't sleep with my best friend!"

"Of course I didn't, you moron." Acnologia casually told him. "I'm not interested in little kids. She's just talking nonsense to get on my nerves."

Leone pouted. "Well at least try to act fazed. Geez, you act like such an old prune despite looking like a middle-aged man."

Acnologia cracked a smile. Only if she knew how old he really was, he thought. But he never got to mention that on the table because Najenda decided to cut in because of important information she needed that Leone has.

Apparently, the report the blonde had for her was anything but good. It involved two men, Ogre, the captain of the Capital's guards, and an oil merchant named Gamal, and their involvement in the life of a poor woman. Gamal was known to frame others for crimes he committed, to which Ogre accepted his bribes and made the arrests. Sadly, the woman's lover had been framed and executed.

"This is the payment for the job." Leone dropped a big bag of coins on the table.

Tatsumi was surprised by the money and stood up. "That person saved up this much money?"

"I caught the scent of a venereal disease from her." Leone said, shattering his thought. "So she must have been selling her body to earn all of that."

Tatsumi was speechless due to the shocked reality. Meanwhile, Acnologia listened to what Leone had to say next. Leone had confirmed about the circumstances the woman told her about, as well as the two men's movement.

"I see…" Najenda said and pulled out the cigarette she was smoking. "Night Raid will accept this request. We will deliver divine judgement upon the heads of these heinous monsters and send them to hell."

"Taking out Gamal will be easy." Leone stated. "But Ogre will be a formidable opponent. He's called 'the demon' because his skills with the sword makes him an object of terror to the criminals of the Capital. Usually, he spends his time out on patrols with his subordinates. But other than that, he hangs out at the garrison headquarters. Gamal comes to his private room to give him the bribes."

She then explains what he does on his days off. He would leave the garrison's headquarters and spend his day drinking on a place known as Main Street which was close to the palace.

"It seems the only time to attack would be on his day off." She added. "However, the security around the palace will be tough. For Akame, who is on the Capital's most wanted list, this will be a dangerous mission."

"Shall we wait for the group to come back?" Akame asked Najenda.

"But we don't know when they will finish their job, right?" Tatsumi asked, and with that came some strong conviction. He slammed his hand on the table and said. "If that's the case, just send us! We can take care of it!"

The entire room became silent. No one had expected such an action of words from Tatsumi. It only seemed to Impress Najenda and Leone.

"Ohhh…? Are you saying you can kill Ogre yourself?" Najenda asked.

"Not that I can't handle it, but it almost sounded like you want to take him on yourself." Leone said with a sly smile.

Akame was unimpressed though. She even seemed doubtful when she spoke.

"As you are now, you stand no chance."

"I have to agree with her." Acnologia said, and munched a meat with its bone in one bite. "You hesitated with that intruder. You would be dead by now if you were left alone back then."

Tatsumi felt ticked off by their comments. It was obvious that the black dragon was holding him accountable for his blunder that night. But the teen chose not to let that mistake hold him back, thus he stated. "While we stand here debating, there may be other innocent people being framed for crimes they didn't commit! If that's the case, I'll handle him myself!"

He then fell silent for a few seconds. The circumstance the woman whose lover was executed reminded him of Ieyasu. It showed on his face, and in his voice when he spoke up again.

"The feeling of your most cherished person being cruelly taken away…I don't want anyone to have to experience that loss…"

Akame and Acnologia stared at Tatsumi with no emotion. Unknown to Tatsumi, they knew that feeling he had because of their own separate terrible pasts. Najenda seemed impressed by Tatsumi's conviction, so she smirked.

"Understood. I appreciate your decision, Go kill the demon."

"Well said, Tatsumi." Leone cheered and happily patted him on the back hand. "It's good that you're so dedicated."

Najenda then spoke up. "Leone, Akame, I leave the oil merchant to you."

"You got it, boss."

"How about that Akame, Acnologia?!" Tatsumi asked them confidently. "When it's time, I can step up!"

"Where does this self-confidence come from?" Akame asked him with a small glare. "You haven't had a successful mission until after you have given your first report."

"As you are now, so full of yourself, you'll just end up dead." Acnologia added.

Akame stared at him because of the words he said. Those were exactly what she was about to say to Tatsumi. It made her wonder what the man has gone through. Now that she thought about it, he seemed to agree with her before, so perhaps there was something he related to her.

Whatever that relation could be, Acnologia didn't bother to share. He was done with his plate before moving over to a tray and putting some plates of food on them, and stand up.

"I'm going to give Sayo some of this since she can't move out of her bed." He announced and made his way to the door. Everyone watched his retreating figure, when he came to a stop and moved his head to Tatsumi direction. "Before I forget, try not to make Sayo sad, because if you die, I'll make sure I bring you back and kill you myself."

Tatsumi shuttered and gulped some spit down. He had a feeling that Acnologia wasn't exaggerating with that statement. But he gained some of his dedication and thought in his mind.

'_Just you guys wait. I'm definitely going to succeed and make you see me in a new light…'_

* * *

Acnologia shut the door behind him when he entered Sayo's room. The black haired girl was lying on her bed wearing a set of bandages around her chest and a black short. The bandages weren't to deal with any injury, but rather to hide her breasts while her body could heal.

"You know, you could've just healed me back. I mean, you have that time power thing, right?" Sayo asked.

Acnologia chose not to respond to that comment. He was carrying the tray from earlier, when he decided to put them at Sayo's side.

"Choose. Do you want to sit up and eat or would you prefer that I feed you?" He asked,

"Um…I think I can do it myself." Sayo blushed at the thought of being fed by him.

The struggle to sit up was difficult, but she did it anyway. With the tray on her legs, she did a short prayer and went on to eat the food given to her. Acnologia was sitting at the edge of her bed with his back facing her. He made no attempt to establish a conversation until she was done.

"I'll be taking this now." Acnologia said.

"Um, sure. But before you go, can I ask you a few questions?" She asked.

"Fine." Acnologia answered, and stood up.

"Thank you." Sayo then clutched her hands together. "Ever since you told me about your world, I've been curious. If you're as powerful as you say, not that I'm doubting you, can't you just end this madness? You saw what happened to Ieyasu. I think it's very unfair and cruel that people like Aria's family are out there doing terrible things to people."

Acnologia was silent, before moving his gaze to the window. He thought over the correct response he would need to give to her, and looked back at her.

"Do you remember what I told you about the Dragon King Festival?"

"Yes."

"And do you know how it became that way?"

"Yes, you ended the war with both sides losing." Sayo then looked away and smiled a bit at the window by her side. "If Tatsumi hears of this, he might think it's cool."

"The dragons back then won't say the same" Acnologia said with a serious tone. "I would've done the same thing with the war involving the Black Wizard's empire and the homeland the son of the Fire Dragon King if I hadn't lost."

Aria was beginning to understand what he meant. "But you're a different person now. You could just do in it in the name of the Revolutionary Army."

"No." Acnologia shot down the idea. "I've learnt a lot in my former life. I have no true sense of the right side. Even now I'm just doing whatever that comes to mind."

"But Night Raid and the Revolutionary Army are the good guys…in their own right."

"Perhaps, but I've seen revolutionaries in my life. I've witnessed empires rise and fall, and kingdoms with many promises, only to fall flat on its face. The Revolutionary Army might have the right ideals, but give their new country three or five centuries later. It'll be in some state of chaos."

"That's still far away though. We won't be alive to see it."

"You won't be, but I will." Acnologia said with a low growl. "Because I'm a dragon, I age at a very slow rate. A month is barely a day, three years is like two months, a decade is less than a year, and a century is a couple of decades to me. Do you understand now?"

Sayo bowed her head. "I'm so sorry." She apologized with a sad voice.

Acnologia patted her on the head. "Now's not the time to feel sorry. I've become very used to it."

"O…Okay."

"Anything else?"

"No. I asked too much already."

"I see…" Acnologia replied and stood up. He took the tray from her lap, and looked down at her. "Just so you know, I don't deserve your pity. You should be more concern about that life of yours and your friends."

"Yes…master."

"And don't be afraid to ask questions." Acnologia then turned away and began heading to the door.

"I understand."

With that, Acnologia left the room, leaving Sayo with much to think about as a person and as his student.

* * *

Sometime passed since Tatsumi was given the assignment to assassinate Ogre. Leone had accompanied him to the place and told him about Akame's past before leaving. The fact that Akame had gone through such a painful and traumatic childhood made him realize that he may've been wrong about the girl.

Fast forward to his fight with Ogre, he was able to lure the man to an alley so he could kill him in secret. He made it swift, hoping to correct himself from that time he almost got killed by the intruder. He was even sure afterwards that the assassination was successful until Ogre rose from the ground and tried to kill him.

Ogre really lived to his title. His brute strength and skill were quickly overwhelming Tatsumi during their fight. But if there was one thing that changed the tide of the battle, it was Ogre's mindset that pissed Tatsumi off.

"Hahh!" Ogre was able to force Tatsumi down. With his sword pressing down on Tatsumi's blade, he was trying to overcome the teen. "I see. You belong to that Night Raid group, am I right?"

Tatsumi made no attempt to answer that. He was trying to keep his blade at the defense with both his hands – one on the hilt and the other at the blade. However, Ogre was able to know his allegiance, and grinned madly because of it.

"Who hired you to kill me?" He asked. "Was it the bitch fiancé of the guy who was executed the other day? I'm right, aren't I…? I knew it would have been best to kill her as well…No, it's still not too late to kill her too! First, I'll have to find her, of course. Then, I'll find the rest of her family and arrest them as criminals! From there, I'll force her to watch as they're executed one by one! BUT ONLY AFTER I'VE KILLED YOU!"

Now that was the trigger that made Tatsumi snap. By using his low point as an advantage, Tatsumi pushed past his limits by cutting off Ogre's wrists and making a leap up. Ogre was surprised by the sudden turnout and looked up above him to see the serious and disgusted look that was in Tatsumi's eyes.

'_This guy is just like them. Drunk with the power he attained. Doing whatever he wants. Trash like you…I'll…' _He swooped that and cut him severely before landing behind him. _'I'll cut you to pieces!'_

With that, Tatsumi put his sheathed sword, and began to walk away. He was done with the monster that he killed for sure. He had no other reason to look back, nor did the thought even occur to him. Men like Ogre disgusted him, and it gave him another reason to work with Night Raid.

But then he heard clapping, before hearing footsteps. Someone had seen him kill Ogre, which made him come to a halt until the footsteps and the clapping came to a stop.

"Quite the impressive work you made, child. Not many get to see that determination and bloodlust used very effectively from such a young age."

'_It's a woman?' _Tatsumi thought, and turned back.

He was able to see the woman for himself, and notice her weird half-dressed attire which kind of reminded him of Leone. One thing that differed between those two was their hair color, height, the staff she was wielding in her hand, the strange headdress and the breast size.

'_She saw me so I have to either kill her or bring her with me.' _Tatsumi thought, and contemplated. _'She doesn't seem harmless, but…why do I sense some strange body behavior from her? Something isn't right. I have to kill her when she least expects it.' _

"You've gone quiet." Irene said, and smiled.

"Who are you? Are you with the empire?" Tatsumi asked. He figured he could distract her with questions and kill her.

Irene chuckled. "Someone's feeling high and mighty from just one kill." She then began walking over to him. She didn't mind even walking on Ogre's blood on the floor. "Sadly, I don't give my name to just anybody, especially to assassins. I'm also not with this pathetic empire which would allow such disorderly conduct to run rampant. Even the empire I served was able to manage its people and government in an orderly manner."

"You're not making any sense." Tatsumi said while slowly reaching his hand to where his sword was at.

He then saw his chance and made a fast leap towards Irene. The red-haired woman was seemingly and barely able to react when he drew out his sword. But just when Tatsumi swung his sword at her, she suddenly moved aside in a blink of an eye and backhanded the boy when he passed her.

Tatsumi let out a loud pained cry before he began tumbling on the ground. Each impact felt more painful than the other, and possibly broke some bones. He was unable to see an end to it until he came out of the alley and hit a wall at the other side of the street. That place was mostly deserted, so no one was able to see him.

"You know, it would help us both if you stop resisting." Irene said while casually heading to him. "If it weren't for the fact that I can sense the Dragon King's essence on you, I would've killed you already."

"Dragon King?" Tatsumi questioned and stood up. Before his face had hit the wall, he was able to use his left arm to block it. However, it was now broke, and his body was covered his bruises and wounds. "Are you talking about Acnologia?"

"So you do know him." She said, and smiled slyly.

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean I'm going to tell you anything else." And so, even though he didn't have his sword with him to a fighting stance, he moved into a fighting stance and added. "Someone like you is too dangerous for me to leave. I have to give my report after this, so you better believe I won't die here."

"Who said anything about dying?" Irene asked and waved her hand.

Tatsumi suddenly coughed blood and fell to the ground. For some reason, the gravity around him increased five times than it usually was. He gritted his teeth and tried to stand up, only to fail.

"Your dedication is commendable. It almost reminds me of my daughter. But there's a difference between you and I, and it's obviously clear." Irene said before ending the increased gravity on Tatsumi.

"I…won't tell you anything." Tatsumi groaned.

Irene squatted down and grabbed his hair. She then pulled on it, and flashed her eyes red. "Are you certain about that, child? I'm quite the persuasive one, aren't I?"

"Yes, you are." Tatsumi's eyes turned red too.

Irene chuckled. "Glad we're on the same subject."

* * *

After what seemed like a long night, Tatsumi made it back to the hideout to give his report. Najenda was pleased to hear that he came back successful. Ogre was dealt with, and from the looks of it, he sustained no damage whatsoever.

"Not bad huh, Akame, Acnologia?" Tatsumi acted smugly as he flexed his right arm. "I've done my job and gave my report. I even accomplished it without getting unhurt. So now, the both of you will have to acknowledge m -"

Akame cut him off by pulling his shirt off. Tatsumi was surprised and even shouted. "What the hell are you doing?!"

"Leone, boss, hold him!" Akame said.

Najenda and Leone rushed over to him, with the latter actually thinking it was fun. Together, the three girls stripped him down to his boxers while Acnologia watched with an unfazed look. Tatsumi screamed as he believed he was about to be raped. He even went ahead to cover his body with his hands.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" He screamed.

"Thank goodness…" Akame warmly smiled. "I've seen friends die from poison because they wanted to act tough and not report about the wound. But you seem to be undamaged."

Tatsumi was a bit baffled, and yet at ease with this new side of Akame. She went ahead to reach her hand to him, to which he took and shook.

"The mortality rate for those on their first mission is high…" She added. "You did well."

"Th…Thanks." Tatsumi responded.

Leone then spoke up. "Akame was hoping you would live. She would've been lonely without you."

Najenda then went on to explain. Apparently, the training he went through in the kitchen and hunting were to improve his communication with his comrades and for him to learn to kill when hunting.

"Did you notice that everything you did in those days were beneficial to you?" She asked.

"Eh…oh…really?" Tatsumi asked, a bit taken aback.

Acnologia chose that moment to make his move. He went over to Tatsumi and laid his hand on his shoulder. The teen was scared and concerned when the black dragon sniffed him and then stared at him straight in his eyes.

"You feeling okay, Tatsumi?" He asked.

"Uh…yeah."

"Good." Acnologia removed his hand from his shoulder. "The fact that you're standing and breathing makes you worth something. I guess I was right to believe you have the spirit to make an impact."

"An impact? What do you mean?" Tatsumi asked and frowned. "You say something so vague...and yet you chose to train Sayo without me."

"Oh?" Leone smiled slyly. "Is Akame not good enough?"

"No, that's not what I'm –"

"I chose to train Sayo because she doesn't have what it takes to catch up to you yet, Tatsumi." Acnologia interrupted him. "The both of you show promise. So if you truly want to change this country, stop worrying about little things like that."

"Ah…yes." Tatsumi replied. "Acnologia, Akame, I'm sorry. I misunderstood you guys."

"It's fine." Akame said. "From here on, please continue to keep coming back alive, Tatsumi."

"Sure." He smiled back. "Please take care of me, Akame."

The moment was beautiful. Even Acnologia would admit that it warmed his heart. Too bad Leone had to ruin it with her sly mind.

"I wonder what his intentions are by saying that while standing half-naked." She said.

"You guys are the ones that stripped me!" Tatsumi yelled in anger.

Acnologia sighed and went over to Leone. Before the blonde knew it, he walked past her and grabbed the back of her black strap which was the only fabric covering her chest.

"Come, we're going to find that woman. There's something I need to do for her." He said.

"Eh?" Leone was taken aback.

Acnologia didn't even wait for a proper answer. He began pull her back with that strap, to which Leone began reacting.

"Wait! If you keep pulling like that, it'll come off!"

"I don't care." Acnologia said with a straight face.

"I do!"

"Then don't wear such revealing clothes!"

"Are you even listening to yourself?!"

Acnologia chose to ignore her and keep moving. Meanwhile, Tatsumi couldn't help but snicker at the scene he, Akame and Najenda were watching. They silently agreed that the blonde had it coming.

* * *

The poor woman was walking through the street, heading home. With her fiancée/lover gone, she only had her parents in her life that kept her going. But the things she had to do to have him avenged flashed through her mind at every moment. It traumatized her to the point that she wondered if she should bother living.

"I'm home." She announced upon entering her parents' home.

After a short silence, she received no response and sighed. Their house wasn't the biggest or the best, but it was still home. Just the thought of being there reminded her that her future of moving out was over since the love of her life was dead.

"I guess they must've gone out." She said.

"It would appear so." Said an unfamiliar male voice.

The woman was taken aback when a dark-skinned man and a familiar blonde dropped from the ceiling. He recognized the woman instantly, but was still startled at their appearance.

"Sorry for dropping in like that." Leone apologized, and pointed at the man by her side. "This is…someone who wanted to meet you."

"So you're the woman whose lover was executed." Acnologia said bluntly.

The poor frowned and bowed her head. "Just…Just tell me what you want."

Leone scowled at him. "Way to make her feel bad."

The black dragon chose to ignore the blonde due to what he had in mind. While the woman was quiet, he placed his hand on her head and allowed the flow of time magic to cover her. Not surprising, it caught the woman off guard, to the point that she was speechless until he removed his hand and she looked at her body.

"Wh-What did you do? I feel…different."

"I got rid of the venereal disease you gave yourself because of the prostitution you subjected yourself to."

"You know about that?" She was surprised and ashamed.

"Yes." Before he could say another word, he pushed his long black cloak aside and handed a huge sack of coins to her. "Here."

The woman was uncertain before grabbing it. The weight of the coins caused her to drop the bag, thus causing its content to spill. Leone and the woman were surprised at the huge amount of gold coins, with the former even bringing it up.

"Wow! Where did you get all that money?!"

"I found some bad people and made them regret crossing me." Acnologia simply answered.

"Is this okay…for me to take?" It was the woman that asked as she bent down, eyeing the gold coins on the floor.

"Yes." With that, Acnologia nudged his head at Leone as a gesture for them to leave, and turned his attention back at the woman. "Just do yourself a favor and leave the Capital with your family. I'm sure your lover would've wanted you to live a free and happy life."

"How would you know?" Her voice sounded sad. "He…He was killed by that monster…for a crime he didn't even commit."

"He's already been taken care of, you know." Leone smirked. "Acnologia has a point. With that cash, you can start a new life. Just saying."

The woman was silent. Leone glanced at Acnologia and saw the black dragon heading to the door. She was about to follow him when he opened the door to leave. But the woman's voice caught her attention, and made her stop.

"Thank you." She said and wept.

Acnologia stared down at her for a few seconds. The words on his mind then came out, and he replied. "You're welcome."

* * *

Leone and Acnologia were walking down a small occupied street after their meeting with the woman. The both of them were being silent for a while, but since it was Leone with him, the black dragon couldn't count on that silence lasting long.

"You know, that was pretty cool of you." She said. Acnologia raised an eyebrow at her, and she continued. "Giving that woman those sack of money and curing her disease. I don't think anyone would be so generous to do something like that. It makes me realize something different about you."

"Different?"

"Yeah." She then went on to explain. "That night we met, you had this killer vibe that made my instincts go wild. I even thought that bringing you to the hideout might've been a bad idea. But then you saved Sheele from that Danger Beast, took Sayo as your student, and visit that woman that had her fiancée killed. You're really not a bad guy, are you, Acnologia?"

The black dragon huffed. "If only you knew…"

"What was that?"

"You shouldn't judge a person's whole life just from a few good acts. Trust me, if I was here a week ago, this whole Capital would've been nothing but a grim memory."

"I don't get that."

"You will when the time comes."

Leone sighed and placed her hands behind her head. "You can be so vague sometimes, you know. Now I understand what Tatsumi felt when talking with you."

Not one response to that was made by Acnologia. He knew the way his behavior was like to others and didn't really care much about it. As long as he was making good results, he was fine with their perspective of him.

Leone wasn't fine with the silence. She smiled slyly and wrapped her arms around the black dragon's left hand.

"What are you doing?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Just getting a good feel of you. Keep up being so honest like that and I might end up falling in love with you." She smiled.

Acnologia moved his eyes away, unfazed by her attempt of a flirt. "You humans can be so weird."

Leone chucked. "Well then, how about you get me some free booze while we're out? You dragged me over here without explaining, so it's the least you can do."

"Whatever."

"Great." She pushed her breasts to his arm.

Acnologia was unfazed by the touch. If anything, he was a bit irritated by her physical touch, to the point that he considered heating up the temperature of his body to get her off him. But for some reason, he chose not to, and decided to think.

'_All this physical touch is almost making me forget my suspicion earlier.' _He thought to himself. _'Tatsumi didn't come back to the hideout unharmed like they think. His body seems like it was healed perfectly by someone with some form of healing magic. Whatever the case, I have to find who that person is, and deal with him or her swiftly.' _

"Hey, are you listening?!" Leone shouted and squeezed his arm to get his touch. It worked for the most part, and allowed the two to make eye-contact. "You're taking me out for booze! Stay focused and take notes just in case!"

"Just in case of what?"

Leone smirked slyly. "I don't know yet. Let's see how things go."

"Humans are so annoying sometimes." Acnologia groaned.

"I hear that!" She laughed.

Acnologia chose to ignore that response, and look away. Though Leone was unaware, but he could sense the presence watching them. It was someone he hadn't thought of in a long time, and now that her presence was lingering from the distance, he had a feeling he knew whom Tatsumi's attacker was.

'_Just you wait. I'll find you, Queen of dragons, Irene.' _He thought menacingly.

Irene smirked while standing at the top of a tall building. She was watching the duo despite how far she was, and heard every word they spoke clearly. Being an enchantress had its perks at many occasions. It was almost unbelievable to see Acnologia being somewhat relaxed with a human girl.

'_Looks like the black dragon really has changed like the boy said. The fact that my last dance with the Dragon King was him trying to kill me, this is such a huge discovery. I'm sure Lord Zeref would be surprised if he was able to see this. But this raises new questions. Was Lord Zeref able to succeed and crush Acnologia and Fairy Tail or…did the unthinkable happen and Fairy Tail prevailed.' _

Irene paused and looked up to the night sky. Seeing the few clouds present made her mind wonder a bit.

'_I don't sense Lord Zeref's presence, but…I do sense __**his**__ presence. That obnoxious man. Honestly, I would've preferred August if it meant not seeing your face, __**God Serena.' **_

Within one of Dr. Stylish secret labs in the forests, there was a fiery explosion that destroyed the entire location. Dr. Stylish made it to the location with Seryu by his side with her Teigu, Koro. The both of them had been discussing when he mentioned finding a strange human at a cave before bringing him to his lab. Seryu was interested to see this person, and so she had followed.

"Stay back, Doctor." Seryu warned while standing in front of him.

Just then, a silhouette was seen walking through the flames. It was something that automatically made Koro to growl as he could sense the danger from the person. Whoever he was, he began laughing in a prideful manner.

"So…are you the one that dared to think they could experiment on a god?"

"Who are you?!" Seryu shouted. "In the name of justice, answer at once!"

"Who am I, you ask? Such a rude mouth you have there. Luckily, I'll just pass it off as being a clueless little girl. Someone as good looking and strong as me needs to make a stylish appearance."

That last sentence was something that caught Dr. Stylish's attention. It didn't matter though, because the man walked out of the flames, his body and clothes unharmed as he stood in a pose with his hands crossed, a prideful smirk on his face, and his fingers shaped in a peace sign.

"I am the Eight-Dragon God, a being unlike any that most can barely see through his blinding light! I am God Serena! The one and only that will crush anyone who opposes him!"

* * *

**Yep! You read that right! Irene and God Serena are the Fairy Tail characters that will join Acnologia in the world of Akame ga kill. I would've thought about bringing others, but then I realize that there might be a few people who haven't seen the manga. This doesn't mean I'll bring anyone that might've died in Fairy Tail. It really depends on what I think is best for the story. **

**Thank you for taking your time to read this chapter. I've noticed that some people I PMed don't bother to respond back. Please try to respond so I can know what you think. It really helps me out.**

**Did you catch the Star Wars line in this chapter? Only true fans would notice it. Lol**

**I should mention that Zeref won't be in this fanfiction. If you've read the manga, you'll know why I say this. As for how and why Acnologia is teaching Sayo magic that's not like his own, you're gonna have to wait for him to explain that. **

**Just to clarify, when Acnologia told Leone that the Capital would be nothing but a memory if he had been there a week ago, he was talking about the person he used to be. Basically, he would've destroyed the Capital. **

**Please let me know your thought of the chapter in the review. Also favorite and follow this chapter so you can know when I update. See you all in the next chapter. Bye. **


	4. Sayo Steps Up

**Hello there, my lovely readers! Hope you're having a wonderful day/night. Welcome back to this fanfiction. **

**Oh boy. I sure took a long time to update huh…**

**I'm sorry. I just became so busy with work and making my first Youtube video. Hope you guys aren't mad about the late update. At least I'm updating it now. **

**Thank you for dropping your lovely reasons. I enjoyed reading every last one of them, so please keep them coming.**

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN ANY TV SHOW. CAN ANYONE TELL ME WHY WE DO THIS DISCLAIMERS?**

**Now on with the chapter. **

**Chapter 4: ****Sayo Steps Up**

Another day began, and with it another normal activity in the Capital. Whether it was lavishing in one's wealth, or struggling to find something to eat, the Capital was still a miserable place to live in. Sometimes it's hard to notice until one's perspective changed.

"This is terrible…" Sayo muttered with a frown.

She was walking behind Acnologia through a marketplace in the Capital. Everywhere she looked, she could see depressive faces, struggling people, and pathetic beggars around them. Acnologia heard her well, and noticed his surroundings despite his unfazed face expression. He has seen worst things in his past life.

Sayo was still sad about the situation. "I never noticed it before when I came here with Ieyasu, but…the people here are miserable."

"That's probably because you changed." Acnologia replied unchanged without looking back. "Considering you died because of the circumstances in this world, it won't be surprising that you've noticed things you didn't see prior."

"I guess so…" Sayo looked down.

There weren't any true word to describe how she felt. Being revived was mind-blowing, and yet she hadn't felt like she died before. Yes, she still remembered the times she was tortured by Aria, and the moment where she let out her final breath of life. But when she thought about it, her mind didn't seem bothered that she was originally dead.

She shook her head to get rid of those thoughts. Even though she died, she was glad that she was brought back to life. She just wished that Ieyasu had joined along.

"By the way…are you sure it's okay that we're walking here?" She asked.

Acnologia kept walking, but turned his head to look at her. He said nothing, and raised an eyebrow like he was expecting her to explain.

"Well…I mean, you're dressed like that and…uh…you know."

Acnologia huffed and faced his own direction. He chuckled. "Anyone that has a problem with my choice of clothes can come forward. I'll just burn them to ashes right after."

"Eh?! Y-You can't do that!" Sayo informed him out of fear. She was scared of the person that would actually talk to Acnologia about his fashion choice.

Acnologia chuckled, but this time heavier. "Relax, kid, I won't do anything like that. I was just joking. Besides…these people have more problems to deal with than what I wear."

"Oh…That was an awful joke, Acnologia." Sayo sighed in relief. "So have you found her yet?"

Acnologia's face changed to a small snarl. "No, but it's clear that she has been around here a while ago. But I guess that's to expect from a high enchantress."

Sayo understood that, and wrapped her arms around her like she felt a shudder. Acnologia had told her about Irene, and the fact that she had attacked Tatsumi. Not surprising, she was shocked, and even asked if the others know about her. Acnologia chose not to tell Night Raid, mostly because he wanted to confront her without any disturbances.

Even though Irene was nowhere stronger than him, she was still a powerful magic user in her own right. Last time Acnologia had seen her alive, she casted an unknown magic that even he didn't know about. This meant that her presence in this world was a serious threat unlike any they might've witnessed. The empire won't even stand a chance against her.

"But is she really that powerful?" The fear in Sayo's tone was obvious. "To think that someone can change the very geography of a whole kingdom is…really worrying."

"Hmph!" Acnologia couldn't help but smile. "You think she's something? True, she can take over this world if she wanted, but so can I. So ease your heart, Sayo. I won't let her disrupt this world's balance."

"But she's a human, right? Didn't you say that you won't interfere with humans?"

"She's…debatable. Before her death, I sensed her in a dragon form, so it's possible that she still possesses it here. Besides, whether she's human or not, she has no right to change the course of this world."

"I see." A second later, Sayo smiled and suddenly wrapped her arms around the dragon king. "Thank you, Acnologia."

The Dragon King was a bit startled. They received some stares from people, but not enough to really bother him. Acnologia did blush a bit before she let go and walked past him.

"Come on, let's go find her!" She said while looking at him. On her face was a wide smile, which was a good show of her relief and assurances.

Acnologia mildly smiled and followed her. She really minded him of someone he once knew.

* * *

Hours went by since that moment between the two. As they continued their search, they were able to find the crucifixion ground where people were forced to stay and die on crosses. Sayo was shocked by it, and even disgusted, while Acnologia seemed unfazed by the whole thing. The sight just reminded the both of them about the cruelness of the empire.

Later that night, Najenda got everyone together for a mission from the Revolutionary Army. They wanted the cousin of the Prime Minister assassinated. Sayo would've joined if not for Acnologia, who believed that she wasn't ready to go on the mission. Najenda decided then to have her sit out the mission, much to her own objection.

Sayo was only able to hear what happened about the mission from Tatsumi when the team returned. Of course, she found it funny how he complained about Mine. It made her wonder if they might end up liking each other eventually.

The next day, Najenda assembled them for another mission.

"The target this time is the rumored serial killer that is plaguing the Capital." Najenda announced. With a solemn face, she added. "Late at night he suddenly appears and chops off the victim's head. It's unknown how many dozens of people he has killed so far."

Sayo was shocked. "And those three were part of the Imperial Guard?"

"He sounds strong." Tatsumi analyzed.

Lubbock understood who they were talking about. "Then there's no mistake. It has to be Zank the Beheader."

"A Beheader?" Acnologia questioned. Though he stood separate from the group, he still had some good hearing. "Sounds like society's nuisance."

"But I doubt you know about him." Mine stated while staring at him. "You look more of an outsider, so I guess that's to expect.

Acnologia chose not to let her comment tempt him. She was technically right. He had no obligation to act on any mission with them. Even when he left the hideout with Sayo, it was only on the permission of Najenda – not that he needed it. He would've gone out whether she allowed it or not.

"Pardon me, but I don't know him either." Sheele said, referring to Zank.

"I think you just forgot, Sheele." Mine replied.

"So what kind of monster is he?" Tatsumi asked.

Mine went on to explain. Zank used to work in the empire's greatest prison as their executioner. Due to the Prime Minister, they were always someone that had to be executed by him no matter the time or day. Zank was even known to take the heads of those that were on their knees begging for their lives.

"So all that turned him crazy huh." Acnologia finished off. Even though he deliberately cut Mine off, he ignored her glare and huffed. "Some humans' minds can be so weak."

Najenda found that comment intriguing. "I think anyone would run mad if they had to be subjected to that life. But from your comment, you're saying that you can handle it just fine. Why is that?"

Acnologia responded by glaring at her. The woman was being suspicious, and it was obvious between them. But Mine thought otherwise.

"He's just talking nonsense. Like he would know the experience of killing so many people like Zank." She simply dismissed. "Executing prisoners weren't enough for Zank, so he became a serial killer."

Bulat added to that. "He disappeared right around the time that a detainment force was sent to find him. Who would think he'd be in the Capital?"

"What a horrible guy!" Tatsumi exclaimed with his tightened fist up close to his face. "We need to find and beat his ass, right, Sayo?"

"Yes!" Sayo nodded affirmatively.

Bulat admired their courage, but decided to ease Tatsumi down. He had something to say when he approached him and placed his hand on the teen's head with a charming smile on his face.

"Hold your horses, Tatsumi. Zank stole the warden's Teigu before leaving. If you ran into him without your partner…you'd be in big trouble."

Tatsumi shuddered, but it wasn't because of what Bulat told him. No, it had to do with the fact that Bulat grabbed his chin and brought his chin closer to his own.

'_I get the feeling that I'm in another kind of trouble at the moment.' _Tatsumi thought.

Acnologia interrupted the moment. His movement was noticed by his footsteps, and soon by the fact that he was in everyone's view as he headed to Sayo.

"As committed as you are, Sayo, I don't think you're ready to face someone with a Teigu." He said. "Your training is still not complete."

"What?! But I can fight!" Sayo defended, and gestured at Tatsumi. "Tatsumi, Ieyasu and I trained very well! We've taken down tons of Danger Beasts before! Besides, I won't be alone!"

"But this is not a Danger Beast." Acnologia stood in front of her with a strict glare. "I forbid you from going."

Sayo grew silent and frowned. Tatsumi would've intervened, but Bulat grabbed his shoulder to halt him. The teen looked back at him, and was met with a look unlike the one the older man had given him just recently. He needed Tatsumi to stay back. Everyone seemed to agree silently as they watched what unfolded.

"No! I'm going to fight!" Sayo stated strongly. She then placed her hand on her chest, and continued. "I know that you're worried about me, but I can fight! I'm a member of Night Raid! I want to prove myself just like Tatsumi did!"

Another moment of silence took place. Now everyone was curious to see what Acnologia's response would be. Najenda could decide that Sayo would follow, but she was interested to know what Acnologia's response would be.

The Dragon King made his decision. With an annoyed sigh, he turned away and headed to a door. "Try not to get yourself killed. There's no such thing as a third chance."

Sayo watched his retreating form, and nodded with a hint of fear on her face. Acnologia was basically saying that if she died again, he won't bring her back.

**LINE BREAK**

Acnologia sighed while staring at the nightly sky. He could barely see the moon despite his open surroundings. While seated on the Cliffside above the hideout, he was doing some reflecting of his own while Night Raid went off to the Capital to find and assassinate Zank. Najenda permitted Sayo to go along, so she was gone too.

"Why are humans so persistent to go into danger?" The Dragon King openly wondered.

He just didn't understand. Back when he was alive in his world, most humans would evacuate whenever they heard him coming, and yet there was that group of humans that gathered the courage to face him. What were they called again? Acnologia wasn't sure he got the name before he died.

He would've reflected more if not for his senses. He could hear and smell a certain woman coming towards him from behind.

"I see you're alone too. Mind having some company?" Najenda asked.

'_This woman…' _Acnologia held back the urge to snare. "Do as you wish." The Dragon King said.

Najenda took the offer and sat next to him. There was still a few meters of space between them.

"Quiet night, isn't it?" Najenda questioned.

Acnologia simply sent a small glare at her. He found her attempt at small talk annoying. The woman didn't need to look to notice.

"Yes, I know I'm not good at small talk. But I find this…a bit refreshing."

Now Acnologia was a bit curious.

"How so?" He asked.

Najenda paused and took out a cigarette from her pack. Placing it at her lips, she was about to use a lighter, when suddenly the untouched end of cigarette was already lit. The blue flame that was brief became enough for her to know who was responsible.

She smiled a bit and released a bit of smoke from her mouth. "So…you don't even have to move your body to set things on fire." She commented. "Whenever the group goes off, I always have to stay back since I know they can handle it. And it's not like I have a Teigu to fight with."

"Are you sure that's safe to say to me?" Acnologia asked her. It wasn't due to any means of concern.

Najenda smiled a bit. "Even if I had one, I doubt I can win a fight against you. Besides, I see both of us as allies than enemies."

"Allies?" Acnologia scoffed, and looked to the distance. "If this is your attempt to get me to fight with you people, just give up already. But I'll give you some points for efforts. You're not even afraid of sitting next to me."

Najenda found him amusing. "You can keep the tough guy act, but I already figured at least some things about you."

That comment got Acnologia's mildly curiosity. Even though he doubted that she knew about his past, he did want to know what she figured about him.

"Tell me, what makes me different from Sheele?" Najenda asked while letting out yet another smoke. "Am I not cute enough?" At the last part she playfully winked at him with her one eye.

"The fact you can ask that with a straight face is odd." The Dragon King answered with a deadpan faced.

Najenda silently looked back at the forest and chuckled. "Is that so? So this is what it's like to have some company?"

Acnologia never answered, not that he needed too. A silence happened between the both of them, with the leader of Night Raid finishing her cigarette. The nightly wind was the only sound between them before she spoke up again.

"By the way, are you sure it's fine to let her go?"

Acnologia knew who she was referring to. She continued so he would know the point of her question.

"To say that the Capital is a scary place sounds like belittling it. If Sayo continues to fight alongside us, she might meet her death one day."

Acnologia sighed, though it was nearly unnoticeable. "I have no right to choose what she wants." He replied.

"But you brought her back to life. Anyone would feel like they own that person." Najenda persisted.

'_So…that's what she's trying to figure out.' _Acnologia understood her intention.

Though she came with good intention, Najenda was trying to figure out Acnologia's true nature on her own. This was just his chance to prove whether he was a good person, or a threat that should be considered.

"Try to be a bit more subtle. I know what you're trying to do." Acnologia told her with an unfazed expression.

Najenda pulled out another cigarette. The impressive smile on her face never faded. "I had a feeling you'd figure out what I'm trying to do. So, does that mean you won't answer my curiosity?"

Acnologia growled lowly, and sighed. "I've done a lot of terrible things in my past, but to own a person? I haven't gone that low, so don't put me to the likes of slave-owners."

Najenda was intrigued by that answered. Though it was vague, she understood a bit more about Acnologia. Did it make her feel intimidated or threatened? No, not at the slightest. With everything that she has heard from her assassins, it was enough for her to come to one conclusion.

"I see." Najenda said. She danced the cigarette in her fingers, and added. "I can't say for certain yet that you're a good person. But…I get the feeling that you have some good intentions."

Acnologia scoffed. "Don't act like you know me."

"You sure about that?" Najenda asked with a quirky smile. "How long are you going to stay here before going to check up on her? You're worried about her."

Acnologia growled with a low tone. As much as he hated to admit it, the woman was right. He stood up without a word and casted a short glare at her. It was clear that he'll need to be a bit watchful of someone like Najenda.

The woman winked at him. "Let's have one of these talks again, okay?"

Acnologia didn't answer. He simply leapt from the place, thus leaving her on her own. Of course, she didn't mind it, but she was surprised at what happened next. Just like before, the cigarette in her hand was touched by a bit of blue fire, to which she smiled and faced the direction that the Dragon King went.

"I'll take that as a yes." She said.

* * *

Sayo sighed as she followed Leone and Bulat from behind. She didn't know how long it has been since they've been in the Capital. So far there was no sign of the Beheader, which wasn't really the main focus of her worries.

She was worried about Acnologia. Some unspeakable thoughts were running through her mind. It also didn't help that she felt that she left the Dragon King on a bad taste. The only thing that had mildly taken her interest off was when Bulat explained to her about the history and nature of Teigu.

Sayo found it fascinating and a bit scary. Bulat had explained what each of their Teigu could do. It made her realize just how terrifying the assassins were, not that she didn't think about it before. Besides Mine, she saw all of them as friends, but now she realize that they were also deadly friends.

Leone took noticed of her mood. Though Bulat was between them, her heightened senses while in her beast form made her more aware.

"Hey, Sayo. Are you doing okay?" She asked.

This was the first time Sayo was joining them as a team. When partners were assigned, it was decided by Najenda that Sayo should be paired with Bulat and Leone. She wanted Sayo to be able to rely on them, rather than just Tatsumi whom she has known for a long time.

"Oh…uh…" Sayo found it hard to explain. She gave in once even Bulat turned to face her. She sighed and sat on a flat stone. "I'm sorry if I'm holding you guys back, but…I'm just worried about me and Acnologia."

"Oh?" Leone smirked and placed her hands on her hip. "Have you finally fallen in love with him?"

"What?! Finally?!" Sayo was completely taken aback. Her cheeks reddened, while her heart beat increased. "W-What are you talking about?! Acnologia and I are just friends! We're…" she calmed down, and looked depressingly at the ground. "…just friends, and yet I yelled at him that way."

Leone's smirk dropped. It was obvious that Sayo had no special feelings for Acnologia, which was good. Leone has considered having the Dragon King for herself, anyway.

"So that's what this is about." Bulat said, stating the obvious.

Sayo nodded. "I don't want to disrespect him, but…I want to fight too. I want to be a part of Night Raid and fight alongside everyone. That's why I'm fine with training under Acnologia, because I can get stronger with him….Do you think he hates me for what I did?"

Leone suddenly laughed. It surprised Sayo, who felt her heart jump when she did that. The blonde assassin only calm down a moment after, and sat next to her.

"Come on, Sayo. You don't really think he hates you for that, do you?" She asked. Before the girl could answer though, she stretched her arm and pulled her close. "Listen, Acnologia's not mad at you. When he spoke back there, he was just trying to tell you to be careful."

"How do you know?" Sayo asked.

"Because we noticed." Bulat answered in Leone's place. "Anyone can interpret what he said as something scary, but for assassins like us, it's a message that you should be careful."

"Yeah!" Leone's pulled her closer. "So how about this?! Impress this Onee-chan and Onii-chan here, and we'll be sure to let Acnologia know how cool you were."

Sayo gave their words a thought, and smiled. She felt a lot better now.

"Yeah, I can do that." She faced Leone with a smile.

"That's the spirit, Sayo!" Leone smirked widely.

* * *

Zank chuckled with a mad grin on his face. He was standing at the highest point of a clock tower, watching through the special headband-like device on his head. With it, he could see each member of Night Raid despite the large distance, and talk to himself while doing it.

"In addition to serial killers, now professional killers show up. My, what a dangerous city this is. Hehe…"

He began to pick amongst them. "Okay then…which neck should I go after first?" and then he saw it – or rather her. His Teigu's view zoomed in on Sayo, to which his grin widened. "I should start with…THE MOST DELICIOUS ONE!"

* * *

Sayo stepped out of a public toilet with a satisfied sigh. After patrolling for a while, she needed to use the bathroom. Leone suggested using a bottle she carried, fortunately Bulat had told her about a nearby public toilet that she could use. Now she just needed to rejoin them and continue the search for the Beheader.

"Hmm?" She noticed someone standing close by.

Her eyes widened once she got a clear view of the person. It was Ieyasu, and he was standing there with a genuine smile on his face. But then he turned back and began running away.

"Ieyasu? Ieyasu, wait!" She called out with her hand stretched out to him.

His sudden presence didn't make any sense, but she didn't care. Her mind and body chose to chase after Ieyasu without a second thought. Leone came to the spot a moment later. But by then Sayo was gone.

When she was given a chance to breath, Sayo took it well with her hands on her knees. Chasing Ieyasu had caused her to run a great distance, until now they were at an open area that was obviously far from the others.

"It's you, isn't it?" Sayo asked amidst catching her breath. "You…better have an excuse for making me run like this. So you were awake all this time?"

Ieysau stood quietly with his head down. Sayo didn't seem to care, though. She stood up straight and walked over to him, and hugged him in a warming embrace.

"Whatever. I'm just so happy to see you. Just wait till Tatsumi gets to see you again."

"I wouldn't mind that." Ieyasu's lips moved, but it wasn't his voice.

Sayo was suddenly alarmed, before noticing something very wrong. When she looked at Ieyasu again, she saw a tall and muscular man in a large coat, with a sinister grin on his face.

Her instincts forced her to jump back. "KYYAAAA! I always thought Ieyasu was weird, but not to the point of changing into an old man!"

"Good evening to you too." The mysterious man said. "Rather than call me 'old man', I would prefer that you affectionately call me Zank the Beheader."

At the last part, he drew out twin blades from his wrists and crossed them. Sayo's shock changed to a snarl, and soon she readied her bow and arrow and pointed it at Zank.

"You…" Zank gleefully pointed at Sayo. "You've been separated. If you wait, they'll eventually show up…But will you live long enough for that to happen…? Is that what you're thinking?"

Sayo's eyes widened. What Zank had said were the things she was thinking about. But she recovered quickly, and glared at him suspiciously.

'_How did he know I thought of that? That eye on his forehead…is that a Teigu that can read minds?" _She wondered.

Zank answered. "Bingo!" He exclaimed. "One of its five sight abilities, 'insight' can read your thoughts by seeing your facial expressions, body language, and stuff like that. Think of it as an extreme form of observation."

Sayo didn't like the sound of that. If that Teigu was as dangerous as he stated, she might really have to prolong the battle until the others arrive. Zank still continued with a question in mind.

"If I get questions about you right, can I turn you into a shrunken head?" He asked.

Sayo scowled. "You must take me for an idiot if you think I'll accept that. You talk too much, you know that?"

"Talking is one of my hobbies. Oh and by the way…the power I used to find you was 'farsight'."

Sayo saw that as her chance. While he was talking, she shot an arrow for his chest, only to then find that cut in half by Zank.

"Whether it's night or foggy, I can see you clear as day!" Zank proudly claimed. "So happy. You figured you would try something because I was talking? Useless completely!" With that, his grin widened and he pointed at his Teigu's eye. "I can see everything going on in your head, girl!"

Sayo was growing frustrated. Never did she think that someone would see through her moves in such a way. But she chose not to give up, nor did she give in to her frustration. She needed to keep her distance, thus she began running to the left while firing precise arrows at different parts of his body.

Zank simply crackled and charged at her. Even as the arrows came for him, he cleverly cut each of them as he closed the distance between him and Sayo.

"Though your arrows seem random, when in reality you're trying to hit me at different places in order to slow me down. You're also keeping your distance so you can have that advantage. But then..."

He was now close to Sayo. The black-haired girl seemed unfazed, to the point that she halted and bent her knees. As Zank came down with quick slice for her neck, she jumped over him and took two arrows from her pack to fire.

"But then…" Zank continued. "when you think you've fooled me, jump over and fire two arrows for my neck."

Sayo did just as he predicted. The arrows approached his neck, only for him to turn and rush past them and cut them. Sayo was about to land on the ground, when suddenly he came for her with his right blade. She quickly pulled another arrow and swung it for Zank's incoming grinning face.

He saw her attack coming, however, and said. "And then, just when I should think I got you, pull out an arrow and strike me in the face."

With that, he cut her arrow in half before using his other blade to cut Sayo's stomach. As blood spurt out, the young girl cried out in pain and kicked him in the face. The push had no effect on him, but it did put some distance between them. Sadly, she tumbled on the ground, while letting out some screams until she came to a stop.

"Just so you know, I saw that kick coming. I just chose not to react since it was so weak. So did I get everything right?"

Sayo winced while holding her stomach. She was fortunate that the cut wasn't serious. But as she staggeringly got on her arms and feet, she clutched the wound and noticed her bow lying on the ground far from her.

"Now you've been departed of your dear bow. Just what will you do now?"

'_He's…too strong. He's on a whole higher level from any Danger Beast I've killed.' _She thought.

Zank read her thoughts again. Hearing her thoughts just brought him joy as he casually approached her. "The look on the face of one whose head I'm about to take…it's just so irresistible. Most of them have this completely blank look of surprise on their face. So? What I'm saying is…WHAT KIND OF FACIAL EXPRESSION WILL YOU SHOW ME, HUH?! I'M SO EAGER TO KNOW!"

Sayo's mood changed. The fear changed to anger, which converted to a sense of determination. So despite the pain she stood her ground with just her pack of arrows with her left.

"I won't back down!" Sayo stated strongly. "I…WILL NOT DIE HERE, NOT UNTIL I'VE REPAID HIM FOR WHAT HE HAS DONE FOR ME!"

"Him?" Zank questioned. "Oh, do you hope that he'll come to your rescue? I can look into your mind and see just who he is if you ask."

"That won't be necessary." She said and winced. The injury still hurt. "I'll take you here…with my own magic."

"Magic?" Zank was unimpressed. "That sounds just about crazy, and that's saying something from someone like me. Looks like I might've hurt you more than I intended. You see, I love hearing someone beg for their life with that sort of look on their face. So I was careful not to damage you too much. Now…"

He paused and stretched his hand out. Then he slowly tightened it while showing the most sick and sadistic look he could muster. "Now beg for your life! You may even be able to buy enough time for your friends to arrive!"

"As if!" Sayo shouted. "You must be the biggest idiot in the world to think I'll get on my knees and beg for my life! I'll rather die than to beg to the likes of you!"

With that, she closed her eyes, and began to concentrate. Zank found it amusing, and even chuckled at the act.

"Closing your eyes in front of me? Are you sure you should be doing that? Just what are you thinking?" Zank's Teigu acted and looked inside her mind. "Oh, are you trying to summon magic? Unbelievable! And here I thought I was the crazy one!"

"Don't put me in the same league as you." Sayo said, and gradually opened her eyes. "I've been trying hard for this. I can still remember what he told me there."

Her mind flashed back to one of Acnologia's training. When she was seated on a boulder at the time, she was seated crossed legged while trying to concentrate. The Dark Dragon was facing her despite her eyes being closed.

"Magic has existed in my world for centuries, even before I was born. Every type of magic, even the one I possess, comes from one original source, The One Magic. Magic is the physical embodiment of the spirit, and that spirit connects with the spiritual flow of nature, the spirit forms magic as a product of the connection."

"Does that mean Tatsumi can use it?" Sayo asked.

"That depends." Acnologia answered, and then explained. "For anyone to utilize magic, they must use the Magic Power in their body. This Magic Power is the source of Power for all Mages, and it's composed of Ethernano."

"Ethernano?"

"You can say they're invisible particles in the atmosphere." Acnologia informed her. "For you to gain access, you must concentrate and allow it to flow into you and fill in the magic container inside you. Only then will you have the power to protect your friends."

Present day Sayo's smirked. "I can feel it now, Master. I can feel it."

"Huh?" Zank was confused. "Just who was that guy, and…what was he talking about?"

He never got his response, but he did see something spectacular. Every inch of Sayo's body became covered in a snow white aura that was unlike anything seen. Along with that, the small pebbles around her began to float, before her arrows levitated from her pack and lined up straight above her head.

"What the ?!"

"DANCE MY ARROWS! TAKE HIM DOWN!" Sayo shouted and pushed her hand forward.

The arrows obeyed and flew straight at Zank. The Beheader was taken aback by the sudden attack, before quickly slashing at them. To his surprise, however, he missed due to the arrows flying right past him, and before he knew it, they went their own separate ways.

Zank chuckled, and looked back at Sayo. "You caught me by surprise there. Never did I think that such power exist. Do you think I can access this Magic Power? I can already imagine the kind of decapitations I can make with –"

"I'm not done yet." She looked up.

Zank became confused, and looked up and around him. His eyes widened once he saw the arrows. It turned out there that each arrow were a few feet in the air, each spread out in a circle formation, and pointed down at him.

Sayo stretched her arms apart, and flung them down. "EQUIP MAGIC: ARROW FORMATION! CONSECUTIVE BOMBARDMENT!"

Zank was now worried for his life. In his view, he shouldn't have fallen for such a trap, and yet there he was. As the arrows came, they came incredibly fast, thus he was barely able to escape when they reached and exploded.

He was pushed back by the explosion, before skidding back as he tried to regain his standing. Even though he had escaped, his body and clothes didn't leave unscathed. He came to a halt and panted just to recover his breathing. But then he was taken aback by what he saw next.

Sayo was with her bow again; and this one was glowing arrow with the same aura as her. Her weapon was pointed straight at him, with a deadly and concentrated glare in her eyes.

"LIGHTNING ARROW: ROARING STRIKE SHOT!"

When she shot the arrow, a small shockwave was heard and seen from her position. Zank had no way to prevent it. Just as fast as a lightning, it hit the Beheader and electrocuted him, to the point that he cried out in unbearable pain.

When the shocks ended, the arrow fell off him. The Beheader fell to the ground on his knees. His coat was badly damaged, with his body sustaining more injuries.

"Hmph…" Sayo smiled and fell to the ground on her side. "Looks like I used too much…But what do you think of me, Zank? Did you see my arrows coming?"

Zank snarled for the first time. Though he was injured, he stood back on his feet, and glared at Sayo, who continued mocking him.

"You decided to face me because you thought I was weak…when really…isn't it you that is weak? You're nothing by pathetic dirt that should crawl into a hole and die."

That was more than enough to trigger Zank's anger. Forgetting his own injuries, he charged straight at Sayo with the full intention to slice her into pieces.

"SHUT UP! I'LL KILL YOU!"

Sayo lightly chuckled. "Stupid, I told you I can't die, not because it's not possible, but…because **he **won't allow it. Is that not right, Master?"

Zank got close for the killing blow. He should've made it and killed her. But then his instincts went to overdrive, and he leapt back just before a stream of blue fire shot down from the sky. He wasn't the only one who was seeing the blue flames from the sky.

Acnologia's blue flames could be seen from every point in the Capital. Those who saw it were the members of Night Raid that were spread out, Imperial Guards, and enemies that became aware of it.

"Those flames…" God Serena's muttered with wide eyes.

He was in a nice room, and looking through the window when he saw the phenomenon. "That level of magic coming from it…There's no mistaking it." He smirked. "Acnologia! So you're here too!"

Irene smirked while standing at a rooftop. She could see Akame and Tatsumi rushing to the scene.

"Oh my. Maybe I should go and spectate as well." She smiled sinisterly.

Back at the scene, the flames extinguished to reveal a scorched ground. Sayo remained unharmed by it despite being so close to the flames. As for Zank, he stuttered as he gazed at the scorch ground, before seeing a dark figure rising with a deadly glare on his face.

"So…you're the Beheader." Acnologia mentioned intimidatingly.

Zank clicked his tongue in anger. He recognized the long-blue haired man in front of him from looking inside Sayo's memories. But he didn't seem to think of him as a threat. This was obvious when he turned his back at him, and looked down at Sayo.

"You got hurt." He said plainly.

"Yeah, I'm sorry." Sayo apologized. "You were watching all this time, and yet I failed to beat him."

"Don't forget about the fact that you allowed yourself to be separated. You would've been dead by now, you know." Acnologia then smirked genuinely. "But I won't lie that I'm not proud. Not only did you sense my presence, but…you were able to use magic. How did it feel?"

"It felt exhilarating and…so exhausting."

Acnologia chuckled. "First time Mages sometimes feel that way, but with enough practice you can –"

Zank appeared behind Acnologia with his blade coming for the dragon's neck. "Don't ignore me, you –"

He was cut off when the Dark Dragon moved. Before his eyes – and even his Teigu – Acnologia turned and bit down on his blade, hence shattering it into pieces. Zank was deeply shocked by it, to the point that he shrieked and jumped back in order to put some distance between them.

'_I didn't even see him move! What…What the hell is he?!" _Zank was further shocked to see Acnologia spit out pieces of his blade while his mouth was unharmed. _'I need to see…to see if he has any more surprises.'_

With that, he shouted 'Clear Sight' in his head, and was able to look through Acnologia's clothes. _'It doesn't seem like he's carrying any weapon. So no more surprises.'_

"Be careful. He's dangerous." Sayo warned.

Acnologia looked back at her. "Do you lack that much fate in me?"

Sayo giggled. "I was telling Zank. He can read your thoughts with that eye on his forehead. That's his Teigu."

"I see." Acnologia looked back at the Beheader.

Both of them remained motionless, with nothing else to say. In that period, the rest of Night Raid arrived on the scene, just in time to see Acnologia and Zank facing off. Tatsumi was the most surprised by it, before his eyes saw Sayo on the ground.

"Sayo!" He made his move to run to her. However, Akame stretched her arm out to stop him.

"Stay back. You might end up getting caught in the crossfire." She said.

"But Sayo –"

"will be fine." Leone said while approaching his side. With a grin on his face, she said. "He won't let her get hurt."

Zank's body, meanwhile, was shivering. He just couldn't figure out Acnologia by just staring at him. An idea then struck, and with his Teigu, he began to look through the Dragon King's mind in search of any memory he could figure out.

'_Insight!' _With this, he was inside Acnologia's memory. However, the scenes he saw completely shaken him, and yet it caused him to crackle and then laugh.

"I've killed so many uncountable people, and yet none of them…NONE OF THEM HAS EVER MARCHED TO THE LIVES THAT YOU'VE TAKEN!"

Now that statement was enough to startle everyone. Mine, who was on a nearby rooftop with Sheele, was confused.

"What did he just say?"

Acnologia genuinely smiled. "So…he dug right into my memory. Tell me, what did you see?"

"Death…Massacre, bloodshed and destruction on uncountable millions, both giant beasts and ordinary human beings!" Zank revealed.

Now that was enough to shaken the group watching them, even by a little bit. Sayo was aware that her master had killed people, but even she was shocked. Acnologia had killed that many? It was baffling to think just one person could do that.

Zank threw his coat with just one pull from his hand. He was feeling very excited about the new revelation of the man – No, the dragon in front of him.

"Say, Acnologia, what do you do about the voices?" He asked.

"Voices, you say?" Acnologia asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes, the voices that never stop. The voices that drift up from hell. The moans of those who have been murdered. The ones that bear a grudge, constantly calling for me to join them in hell."

Acnologia said nothing back. He seemed unfazed by the question. Zank was in deep with his talk, and continued.

"Since my time as executioner, I've always heard them, but recently they've been louder. I quiet them down by speaking. So do you deal with them?"

Acnologia's lips moved. When they widened, they formed a smile, and then opened just for him to laugh out loud. He sounded like a maniac to the ears of those listening, including the one who asked him that questions.

When he calmed down, it was just a grin that was on his face.

"You're a bigger fool than I thought you were, Beheader, and here I thought you weren't worth my time. But you looked into my mind without permission. Don't think you're going to make it out alive."

"Eh?"

Zank's mind barely comprehend what happened next. With a flick of his dragon finger, Acnologia sent a flame slash that cut off the Beheader's left arm from the rest of his body. The act surprised those that watched, while the man grabbed the place where his arm should be. Blood was gushing out even before his arm hit the ground.

Acnologia calmly responded. "First off, I haven't heard any voices, and even if I did hear them, they wouldn't be a bother to me. Why? Because they'd be dead. And second…"

Zank was caught by surprise again, with the same treatment to his other arm. As that one fell to the ground, he could feel a sense of fear crawling all over his body.

"You dared to put me in the same league as you. " Acnologia added. "You either didn't see it, but there's a difference between being arrogant and a psychopath."

'_H-He's going to kill me!' _Zank screamed in his head. _'He has already thought of a thousand ways to end my life! I can see that so clearly! But there's only one way out of this!'_

And so he grinned at Acnologia. "I thought that a monster like you would share and understand this problem of mine, but…how sad it seems I was mistaken."

With that, Acnologia came to a stop, before his eyes widened. He should've killed Zank by now, and yet he was standing still, staring at Zank with a face that was almost indescribable.

"What's going on?" Tatsumi asked.

"Acnologia! Acnologia!" Sayo called out.

The Dark Dragon remained unresponsive. The situation had turned dire, and Sayo was beginning to get worried for her master. Zank chose to fill in the confusion they were refusing as a maddening grin formed on his face.

"Illusion Sight. This ability finds the person most precious to you and shows them right before your eyes."

'_So that's why I saw Ieyasu.' _That thought dawned on Sayo. She still called out to Acnologia though. "Wake up! What you're seeing is an illusion! Don't be fooled by it!"

"It's useless, girl. For the one trapped in it, the illusion is absolute. Furthermore, no matter how strong that person is, it's impossible for them to lay a hand on the one they love. And it looks like even this monster has someone he loves."

Zank then began walking towards Acnologia. The Dark Dragon continued to remain unresponsive. Meanwhile, Tatsumi and Leone seemed ready to jump in while Mine wondered if she should even take a shot at Zank.

"He'll be fine." Akame said with an unfazed. "We don't need to interfere."

Tatsumi was confused by this, and it became clear. Though Zank had no arms, he swung his right leg at Acnologia, which motioned a blade to come out to kill him.

"NOW DIE WHILE GAZING AT THE ONE YOU LOVE MOST IN THE WORLD!"

Acnologia's lips moved to a scowl. Zank's blade was just about close to his neck, when suddenly the Dragon King grabbed his ankle and sent a strong shockwave through his fingers. Zank cried out in pain and spat out lots of blood. Every bone in his body had just been shattered by him, and now he was trapped in the grip of the monster.

"Impossible…" Zank panted while finding it hard to breath. "You're truly a monster! HOW?! YOU SHOULD HAVE BEEN SEEING THE PERSON YOU LOVE MOST IN THE WORLD!"

"True, but that's what you failed to notice. " Acnologia's eyes stared at him menacingly. "The one I love most doesn't exist in this world, not because of my origin but of one reason. I'm the one who killed her in the first place."

Zank was seriously startled by this response. His heart began to beat past, and he attempted to pull his leg out of the dragon's grip. Each attempt, unsurprisingly, was met with failure. When he looked back at Acnologia, what he saw was the Dragon King in his true form, staring down at him with bloody red eyes.

"Can you see it?" Acnologia asked rhetorically. As he continued talking, he gradually raised his free hand at Zank. "Do you see the monster right in front of you? Look into my mind and guess what I'm about to do to you."

Zank could foresee, and for the first and last time in his life, he was scared to actually say what was on his opponent's mind. He could only let out a whimper before Acnologia opened his palm. The space didn't it and the Beheader's face was enough.

"**ERASE!" **

Zank could feel it. The painful sensation of his entire existence being wiped out. Nothing he could do could change what just happened. As he screamed in pain, the last thing he saw was the dreadful glare from the Dragon King.

"DAMN YOU, ACNOLOGIA!"

And just like that he was entirely gone. Acnologia put both of his hands down and picked up the one thing that remained from Zank. It was his Teigu.

"Hmph! Take this. I don't want it." Acnologia said and tossed it to Leone.

The battle was over, and Acnologia was done with the night. As for the Teigu, he'll leave it to Night Raid to deal with it. But then again that would be complicated due to what happened next.

Just before the Teigu could land in Leone's open hand, the thing suddenly disappeared. Everyone was shocked at what happened because it happened suddenly. Acnologia even noticed, but his expression barely shifted. He sensed something very different.

"What? Where did it go?" Bulat asked.

"Up there!" Mine pointed above them.

Acnologia sensed a familiar presence, and looked up. Everyone else did the same, and got the view of a feminine figure, who upon levitating downwards was seeable. Tatsumi had a feeling that he had seen her before.

"Have we seen her before?" He asked.

"No. Why do you ask?" Bulat asked back.

There was a dreadful feeling that he couldn't ignore. "I don't know, but…I have a bad feeling." He answered.

Acnologia turned fully to face the woman. As he did, the enchantress's feet touched the ground, before she inspected the Teigu in her hand and said.

"Quite the work this device is. I'll be certain to take my time to study this," She said.

"Irene." Acnologia sneered. "I was wondering how long you could hide. You must be either confident about something, or foolish to face me."

"Dragon King, Acnologia." Irene called subtly. "I see your arrogance hasn't changed that much. If you don't mind, I'll be taking this thing called a Teigu."

"I don't care what happens to that thing. But you should know that you won't be leaving this place alive."

"Oh? I'm guessing you want me to entertain you again." Irene smirked slyly.

Acnologia's lips shifted. He couldn't deny that he wasn't at least looking forward to a battle.

"Let's just see what other surprises you have installed."

With that said, the motion for a battle had just started. The Dark Dragon and the High Enchantress that was formerly a queen of a kingdom would do battle. Who would emerge victorious? No one in Night Raid knew, nor did they know the history between them.

Unknown to them at the time, however, the battle would be a fight between god-like beings.

* * *

**Yep, shit's about to get real. What will happen next? I think that's for you guys to speculate. **

**Now about the reviews, there's just so much I want to say. Firstly, thank you big time for supporting this fanfiction. It means a lot that you guys reviewed and clicked on the favorite and follow. **

**I'll start with the guest reviewer. I'm yet to consider bringing in August. The reason is because I have to think if his death warrants his return in this fanfiction. I also need to consider what role August would have. I already know what to do with Irene, God Serena and one other character I'm thinking of bringing in (Hint: She has ice power, and has a close relation with Gray). **

**Another thing I should say is that I don't think it's possible for Acnologia, Irene and God Serena to bury the hatchet so easily. Gajeel may have done that with Fairy Tail, but Acnologia is very much different from Gajeel. He's the reason Irene's life went to the dark turn that it did. Also, he basically killed God Serena without letting him finish (I'm very much sure that guy would hold a grudge for that). This means that there won't be any pairing between Irene and Acnologia (Sorry, guys). But what do you guys think? Should I make that pairing a possibility? I want to know why you would want her and Acnologia to be in that relationship. I might end up changing my mind. **

**Anyway, I see that I might've confused some readers about the pairing. My plan was never to have a harem. It was just meant to be Leone and Sheele in the pairing as a love triangle. But what do you think? Should I include other female characters and make it a harem? Not every woman would fall in love with Acnologia though (You can see that with Sayo in this chapter). **

**By the way, congrats to GKBlue 92 for figuring out what will happen. Irene and God Serena will side with the empire…for their own individual reason. God Serena is still as evil as before. As for Irene, she'll be working towards changing the empire without removing the emperor.**

**I can hear what some of you are saying. Why can she just use her magic and change everything? Well that will be explained more in the next chapter. **

**Another question, but this time by keybladeknight. I think I already responded to it in PM, but I thought I should mentio it here too. Just so everyone knows, there's going to be a few hints of romance that will develop over time. Yes, it'll have to involve Acnologia, so don't worry about that. **

**Runningstar bloodrage asked if God Serena has PTSD from his death by Acnologia. The answer is…no. He's actually quite eager to face Acnologia again. But their battle won't happen until the chapter that has Sheele die (unless I change my mind).**

**I think that's about it. As for those who I didn't mention, please just know that I still appreciate our reviews. Don't think for a second that I ignored them or something. **

**And for those of you who actually bothered to guess who that ice user is, I'm just gonna come out and say it. **

**It's Ur, Gray's master. **

**She won't show up until the chapter with the Three Beast Warriors. **

**I think that's all for now. Please let me know your thoughts in the reviews. Also please favorite and follow so you can be aware of the next update. Lastly, I'll be posting my first Youtube video in a few weeks, so keep up to date so you can know the day. **

**See you guys next time. Have a nice day/night. **


	5. Irene's Resolve

Hello there, my lovely readers! Hope you're having a wonderful day/night. Welcome back to this fanfiction.

Yes, this is an actual chapter update! For some of you that don't know, I posted a Q&A.

I want to say a big thanks to those of you that actually went to my Youtube channel to watch the video. I know it wasn't…very good. But the next video will be a good improvement on that channel, so I'll advise that you go and subscribe to it.

Also, thank you for supporting this fanfiction. I only made four chapters, and already the numbers are increasing faster than most of my stories have ever reached.

I see a bunch of you want Sayo to stay alive. And to my response to that, I say…wait till the end of this chapter to know.

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN ANY TV SHOW. CAN ANYONE TELL ME WHY WE DO THIS DISCLAIMERS? LIKE SERIOUSLY, WHY?**

Now on with the chapter.

**Chapter 5: Irene's Resolve**

Mine made it to the edge of a rooftop. Sheele was behind her while staring at the three individuals just some feet away. There was some kind of ominous confrontation between Acnologia and a mysterious red-haired woman. Sayo was just a few feet away, injured from her battle with the now non-existing beheader, Zank.

"That woman…She's holding the Teigu." Mine muttered while looking through the scope on her weapon. "What are Akame and the others doing? Are they really waiting for that idiot Acnologia?"

Sheele couldn't say. Even though she was an airhead, she understood the mood of some situation whenever it was important. Right now, she could feel some creeping feeling going off in her body.

Back with the two magic users on the ground, they had just finished their talks. A thought then came to Irene.

"You know, Dragon King, I heard that you've turned a new leaf."

"There's that name again." Tatsumi said from his position. He could remember the last time he heard that title. "Acnologia called himself 'The King of all Dragons' when we were at Aria's shed. And now, someone else is calling him that too. Is he really a king?"

"Not sure." Leone answered. Her eyes never left Acnologia. "But…it would seem those two have a history together."

Acnologia's smile vanished. He showed no motion to answer. Irene understood, which made her to smile slyly. "If that's true, I have a…proposition for you."

"A proposition?" Acnologia raised an eyebrow.

Everyone heard that right, and became curious. Just what could this mysterious woman have for Acnologia? Her presence in the middle of the clear area was suspicious enough. Akame, Bulat and Leone themselves wondered if the staff she was wielding was a Teigu.

"Yes." Irene confirmed. "You've probably been in the Capital just as long as I have been, so you've seen the horror this place has. Thievery, corruption and the blood of innocents runs through this Capital. No, it runs through the whole empire."

"And your point?" Acnologia asked. One thing Sayo noticed was the unfazed look on his face.

"Rather than going up against you, I think we should form an alliance." To emphasize her point, she raised her arm graciously. "We've lived long enough to see the turnouts of these things. Corrupt monarchy pushes the masses over the edge, then a revolution happens and installs a new government. But in the end, it doesn't matter…at least to people like us."

Acnologia agreed with her statement, at least the part after the offer for an alliance. But Irene needed to push her point across. She had no idea how much Acnologia has changed. However, if it meant bringing a permanent change to the empire, she had to do something.

"So what do you say?" Irene asked. "With our combined power, we can overthrow the ugly old man that's bringing this level of intoxicating evil."

"Hmph…" Acnologia huffed lightly. He wasn't on board with her idea. True, the both of them can overthrow the empire easily, but one question came to mind. "Why do you need me for that? Last time we spoke, you were able to reconstruct the very existence of a continent."

Every member of Night Raid were surprised to hear that. Not only did that revelation came out of nowhere, it also made them confuse. Can someone really reconstruct a continent? If possible, what did they mean by that? Each of them wondered. They couldn't picture just what that meant.

Acnologia continued. "If you wanted, you could take over the entire world."

"I can say the same for you." Irene replied. "I understand you chose to hold back because you only desired destruction. But…what about now? Why do you hold back when many suffer? Have you not regained your humanity? I wish I could make my move, however I'm concerned you might intervene and ruin everything."

"Not surprising. I might just do that if you made a major move like that." Acnologia stated. "As for the answer to your questions, I'll summarize it to this. Human problems should be left to humans."

Irene frowned. "And if those problems lead to their extinction?"

Acnologia made no move to answer. Not out of hesitation, but because the silent look on his unfazed face said it. Irene understood and sighed.

"I see. Truth be told, I'm kind of relieved that you refused, because now I can go back to a promise I made to an old dear friend." She visibly gripped her staff, and her face changed to anger. "After all, you killed him for no apparent reason."

Acnologia snickered. "Do you really believe that, mother?!"

"MOTHER?!" Tatsumi, Sayo and the others exclaimed in shock.

Irene wasn't pleased with the title, however. She struck the bottom of her staff to the ground, which caused the whole ground to be covered in red light.

"DON'T CALL ME THATTTT!" She exclaimed in anger.

Mine pulled the trigger, and shot a bullet straight for Irene. The enchantress heard it and quickly used her staff to swat the thing away.

"STAY OUT OF THIS, CHILD!"

The bullets multiplied into hundreds. Akame, Tatsumi and the others were baffled by the attack. But the shots came too fast for any of them to react properly. Fortunately, Acnologia showed up directly behind them and grab them in his arms and leapt away.

He landed close to the others and placed Sheele and Mine on the ground. The both of them were fine, and without a scratch. Acnologia looked back Irene.

"Are you really going to cast that magic again, mother?" He asked with a teasingly grin.

"You…" Irene's grip on her staff lessened, and the red light disappeared. Even then, her head bowed in such a way that her hat covered most of her face.

When she spoke, it was deeply saddened. "I hate you, Acnologia. I hate…your very existence. Maybe if I hadn't thought of that idea to save my kingdom, things would've been better for me…and my daughter. That's why…I'll gather everything that this world has to offer to destroy you."

"Hmph, like that's possible." Acnologia remarked.

Irene smiled a bit and raised her hand at Sayo's direction. Everyone minus Acnologia became concerned of her next action. They were only surprised to find that she was healed of her injuries.

Sayo was a bit taken aback by this as she stood up while looking at her body. "I…feel better now. Why?"

"Don't ask questions, child. Take this as your chance to go." Irene cautioned her without looking at her.

Sayo nodded and ran over to Tatsumi, who immediately hugged her. He was very much relieved to see her safe. He already lost one childhood friend. He didn't want to lose another one.

Mine saw this as her chance, before using it to her advantage. She pulled her pumpkin's trigger, which sent a big yellow laser at Irene.

"Big mistake, lady! Now pumpkin's fired up!"

Acnologia was unfazed by the attack – and the same was for Irene. Before the ray could even touch her, it split into two and hit a wall at the far end. But that was really just a cover.

Leone in her beast form was directly in front of Irene. With her right and left fist, she proceeded to punch her double at the face, before finishing it with a strong punch at the stomach. Irene grunted and spat out blood as her body was flung off her feet.

She skidded back upon touching down on the ground. Before she could recover however, Bulat seemingly appeared out of nowhere next to her, and sliced her right arm off. Her staff was now out of her reach as blood spurt out.

Akame became the finishing blow. From above, she came down and sliced across Irene's chest and stomach. The Enchantress cried out in pain as she felt the impact of the attack. As expected, the mark of the poison engulfed her, before she fell to the ground dead and in a pool of her blood.

The battle was over.

Mine huffed and lifted her Teigu onto her shoulder. "Hmph! Just goes to show that you shouldn't underestimate Night Raid." She smirked.

"Such teamwork…Incredible." Tatsumi said out of awe.

Sheele went ahead and walked over to Zank's Teigu. It was still within the hand of the corpse that was Irene Bolserion.

"Right, Tatsumi?" Leone smirked at him. "Most of the time you have to rely on your allies in a fight. I hope the both of you have learnt from it."

"We have, but…" Sayo looked over to Acnologia. "is it really over? You guys were –"

"Hmph! That was just all talk!" Mine interrupted and glared at the Dragon King. "And here you made her sound like she was some kind of god!"

Acnologia simply glanced at her, and then back at the 'corpse'. He could see Sheele getting close to her, when he decided to say something on his mind.

"You humans are acting too relax for my liking." Acnologia said unfazed. "Just how long are you going to play dead, Irene?!"

Sheele gasped and groaned. She found her body unable to move. Stuck in a bent forward position, she found some kind of red circle directly underneath her on the floor just inches from Irene's body.

Her lips moved to a grin. The poison marks on her body vanished, and she stood up seemingly unaffected. As for her body part that lay on the ground, it flew right back to the rest of her arm, where it reattached.

"I was about to wonder if I fooled you too, Acnologia." Irene said, like she was unaffected by the beatings earlier.

"Impossible!" Leone shouted in shock. "Murasame's poison should've killed you!"

"So it would seem, but…" Irene's eyes flashed red. It matched the menacing vibe from her. "An enchantress of my caliber can't be killed by inferior means."

"Sheele get out of there!" Mine shouted, and began firing at Irene.

The shots weren't as powerful as they were before. But none of that mattered anyway. All Irene had to do was look at the bullets. An invisible force kept them in place in the air, before they lost their momentum and dropped to the floor like flies.

Irene put away Zank's Teigu in her cape, and picked up Sheele's Teigu. Extase was now in her grasp.

"A fine weapon. I wonder what more it can offer." She said.

"Give…that back!" Sheele shouted while trying to push herself up. "That's…mine!"

Irene looked down at her, and her smile widened. "Not anymore, it would seem."

With that, she smacked her staff against Sheele, thus sending her flying a few feet back.

"Sheele!" Leone and Mine shouted.

The beast woman charged at her. "You bitch!" She exclaimed.

When Irene turned to her, the gap between them had closed. Leone was on her way to beat her to a pulp, when suddenly her neck was grabbed. It happened so suddenly that she was further taken aback when she was slammed to the ground.

Irene stared down at her menacing face . Her red eyes, added by the night sky made her seem like a monster in Leone's eyes.

"Watch your language." Irene simply said before pointing her staff at her face.

Next thing Leone knew was pain. Irene shot a strong red energy blast onto her body. When she stood back straight, she was staring down at a small crater, with Leone lying there defeated.

"I'll take that as well." Her staff lite up with the usual red color. Leone's Teigu seemingly untied itself from its owner and floated over to Irene face.

Just then, she sensed a familiar presence and side stepped to the left. She did it in good time, because an invisible Bulat struck the ground with his spear. Before he knew it, however, the woman's hand was directly at his face, charging with power, before she unleashed it.

Bulat's armor was able to protect him, but the helmet broke apart instantly. His body became visible as he flew a few feet away, where it then bounced once and came to a stop.

The assassin let out a groan and tried to stand up. However, he was pushed back to the ground by a familiar black high heel. Irene stared down at him with a grin.

"I guess I'll be taking your Teigu as well."

Bulat's lips changed to a smirk. He had anticipated something like this would happen. Irene was open, thus giving Akame the chance to stab through the woman's back.

But that was expected by the woman herself. That is why, as Akame's blade was about to dive through her back, the Teigu turned into a long bread.

Akame was shocked and taken aback. The change happened so sudden that she left herself open. Irene proceeded to hit her with her elbow. The blunt of that hit was enough to knock the black haired assassin away. She was able to recover herself, and do a back flip, but none of that mattered. Murasame was back to normal, but it was now floating close to Irene.

"This doesn't look good." Mine said and gritted her teeth. _'Just what is with that woman?! She took down Leone, Akame and Bulat like they were nothing. Was she just playing with us this whole time?!'_

Tatsumi took a step forward. His action caught the attention of Irene, Acnologia, Akame, Mine and Sayo, with the latter of them holding his shoulder.

"Tatsumi, don't…She'll –"

"I know, but…" He hesitated and gripped the hilt of his sword. "I can't just stand back…while my friends are being hurt. It's just not right. That's why I'll fight, not just for myself but to protect them."

Acnologia and Irene were a bit taken aback by his words. For a moment, the word 'friends' rang through their mind. Where have they heard that before? Flashes of certain members of Fairy Tail went through their mind.

The dragon king couldn't help but smile. _'I wonder if this is what you felt back then…son of the flame dragon.'_

At last, he had enough of standing back. He went past Tatsumi and Sayo and made his way over to Irene. Of course, his action caught their attention, but he spoke before their lips could even depart.

"Humans can be so stupid. Getting involved in someone else's battle, and yet…" Acnologia said

"…they're able to bring out the best out of themselves." Irene finished.

The both of them stared at each other. Those were the exact words he was about to say, but that wasn't what surprised the Dragon King. He couldn't help but smile innocently.

"So…I see **they **had an impact in you too." He said.

Irene smiled back. "What can I say? Children are truly a miracle of god."

The battle should've ended there – at least to an outsider's mind. But Irene wasn't done, especially as the Teigu in her possession all hovered above her and combined together with a red flash.

"That is why…in order to make sure nothing evil remains, I'll have to deal with the obstacle before me. Unlike you, I can admit to my own humanity." Irene finished her statement.

From that light, a feminine body was created. When the enchantment was complete, it landed graciously in front of Irene, and revealed itself to everyone to watch.

Bulat, Akame, Sheele, Leone, Tatsumi, Mine and Sayo were shocked and nearly baffled at the person standing. Born from the combination of four Teigu, a feminine figure with red and black pupils stood. She had a short purple hair and beast-like ears and a tail. She also had a cyclops eye at her forehead, as well as familiar black markings across visible parts of her body.

"Everyone…" Irene said and gestured to the mysterious girl. "Meet the perfect enchantment of four Teigu. Scarlet."

"No way…" Mine said.

She wasn't the only one that was lost for words. Everyone was just staring at the mysterious being known as Scarlet. Even though the only red thing was her sailor uniform that resembled Akame's, and her red pupils, the name had to do with a certain someone.

"I'm…Scarlet?" She asked when she turned back to Irene.

"Yes. But you see that man?" Irene asked and pointed to Acnologia. "He wishes nothing but death to you. That's why, if you want to retain this form, you'll have to defeat him."

Scarlet turned to Acnologia. From her view, he looked like a rough man, and someone dangerous. Immediately, she nodded firmly and clutched her fists.

"Yes, master!" With that, she leapt straight at Acnologia.

The Dragon King leapt over her. In doing so, he avoided the moment she smashed down on the ground he once stood. He then landed at the far right of Irene, and said. "So…rather than fighting me, you're just going to let your toy do your battles. Guess I'll just have to break it."

"She's no toy. Believe it or not she has more humanity than you, which reminds me…" She paused and looked over to Scarlet, whom she then raised her arm at. "I place within you Dragon Slayer magic. This was something young Wendy taught me. I hope it does you well."

Scarlet's body was overwhelmed with the magic. She could feel it coursing through her body, and nod at her mother, before charging straight at Acnologia.

"I won't die here! I won't be broken by the likes of you!" She stated with conviction.

"Want to bet?" Acnologia teased and raised his arm.

He thrust it straight at Scarlet, only to then be taken aback by a bright light.

"EXTASE!" Scarlet shouted.

Everyone besides Irene shielded their eyes. Sheele recovered that attack.

"That's…my Teigu's trump card." She said with bafflement. It was weird to see that power used by someone besides her.

Acnologia screamed in pain and quickly closed his eyes. "THAT ACTUALLY HURTS!"

Scarlet saw her chance and proceeded to punch Acnologia severally at the stomach. Each fist impact pushed the dragon king back, while the light from her kept distracting him.

Irene was pleased. "The Dragon Slayer enchantment seems to improve the effectiveness of her attacks. Usually, such a light would mean nothing to Acnologia. But not with this enchantment it would seem."

Acnologia growled and swung his hand at Scarlet. His attack would've killed her instantly. But to his surprise, she faded into nothingness, which made him realize something. He swiftly turned to his back and backhanded her. To his surprise, however, that version of her faded into nothing as well.

Then he found out the reason. He was suddenly stabbed at the chest by the girl. Her right wrist created a blade similar to Murasame, which pierced slightly into Acnologia's body.

The Dragon King responded by jumping back. He could feel a tingling feeling coursing his body. Then it became clear to him. Murasame's poisonous marks were coursing through his body.

"Acnologia!" Sayo screamed in horror.

Akame gasped a bit. It was a surprise to see her own Teigu's power used by someone other than her. Now she understood how Sheele felt.

Irene was further pleased. "Ah, so she combined both the Beheader's Teigu and Akame's Teigu to get a jump on him. When the Beheader fought Acnologia, one of his main flaws was because he was unable to keep up with him. But…not her. With Akame and the blonde girl's powers, she's able to increase her speed beyond human limit."

Back at Acnologia, his body began to fidget. The poison was taking a hold on him, much to the dismay of those watching him.

"Murasame's poison is killing him!" Mine stated what seemed to be obvious.

Acnologia simply smiled. "For a second there, you actually sound like you care about me."

Mine was a bit taken aback. Those words weren't that of a dying man, rather it sounded like a confident person. Acnologia fought against the odds by standing up straight. The marks on him vanish, and he just released a sigh.

"He's alive." Akame said out of a sense of shock. She was relieved that he was okay. But the fact that he withstood her weapon's poison really surprised. _'But then again…I wasn't able to kill him the first time we met.' _She realized.

"Of course, I'm alive." Acnologia stated and touched his chest. The wound created by Scarlet closed up, but not without him taking a bit of his blood on his palm. "So…this is my blood. I can't recall the last time I saw this. But then again, I've long since become immune to light and poison magic."

From there, he looked over at Scarlet, and smirked. "For a toy, your aim isn't bad. If you were human, I might even be impressed. But…everything until now has been a play. Now's where the real fun begins."

Scarlet snarled at Acnologia. She had been so certain that she killed him. If Acnologia was really going to kill her, she would have to fight and live through the battle. And so with that, the eye on her forehead shined bright. Soon Acnologia was surrounded by copies of her from above and below.

"EXTASE!"

Irene had to actually shield her eyes. The bright light coming from them was so bright that it could been seen from anywhere in the Capital. Acnologia's eyes were closed to shield him from the brightness.

He grinned and opened his eyes. "Just kidding. Pathetic lightshows like these are beneath me. I've killed hundreds of Light and Poison Dragons with better displays than this."

With that said, he clutched his fists, which then became covered in blue flames.

"**DRAGON SLAYER SECRET ART: FLAME WALL OF DEATH!"**

Acnologia only needed to spin once to make to destroy her attempt. The flame destroyed the fake copies of her, as well as exposed her. She was coming straight at Acnologia with both of her arms transformed into Extase's blades.

"I saw that coming! You're too open to read!" And so she opened her arms, ready to deliver the killing blow.

But she never got to that chance. Acnologia's speed was much more than she could match. He caught her off guard by turning towards her and slamming his palm against her chin. That almost sent her flying away if not that he grabbed her shirt.

Acnologia then proceeded to deliver some powerful hits. He gave her consecutive punches, with each sending her higher and higher into the air. Irene and the others just watched as the poor girl was dealt with severely.

Blood kept shooting out of her open mouth. She seemed too weak to win, and she knew this.

'_I…I don't want to die…!' _She thought hopelessly. _'Someone…please…save me!'_

Irene read that thought, and responded. Even though her aim had been to allow the enchantment she made to fight, she couldn't bear to watch her suffer anymore. As such, she shot a red ball at Acnologia.

"Let her go, Acnologia!" She yelled.

Acnologia's grin only grew. He swiftly caught the beaten girl by the neck and threw her at the incoming attack like she was a ragdoll. Irene watched with horror as the girl cried out in pain. When it was over, she fell to the ground, her body heavily bruised, and her clothes almost entirely burnt.

The Dragon King walked over to her. She could hear his footsteps, before making a vain attempt to plead at him.

"Please…forgive me."

Acnologia raised his foot over her head and stepped down on it.

"There's no forgiveness towards an inanimate object." He replied with a cold expression.

Scarlet's body dissolved back to the four Teigu that she was created from. It was almost hard for the members of Night Raid to believe that those weapons had actually turned into a human.

But there was more to the battle than it had seemed. Acnologia has told Sayo about his past, but never had she imagined he would be this cruel. Sure, the girl was an enchantment, but she obviously had feelings like a human being. The fact Acnologia had killed her without any sense of remorse actually scared her.

Those feelings were the same for the others. Even Akame found it cruel, though if she was in his position, she would've killed her too. But it was the manner that Acnologia approached to that kill that made her a bit scared of him. The only one amongst them to take some form of joy in killing was Leone. But Acnologia had taken that to a whole new level.

Speaking of the Dark Dragon, he walked over the weapons with an unfazed face. His attention was now on Irene, whose entire expression was hidden by her hat.

"Now it's just you." Acnologia said. "What's the matter? Are you actually feeling lose towards that thing, High Enchantress?"

He couldn't help but laugh at her. True, the thing acted like an actual living being. But Acnologia saw it as an object no better than a rag. His reason was somehow justified. Her origin were a bunch of weapons designed to kill. Why should he show mercy to something that had killed many people for centuries?

Irene saw that differently, though. As Acnologia approached her, he was forced to a stop when the ground below his feet became covered in red light. He could sense the magic coming from it, and recognize it. At the same time, he could see it spreading to the entire courtyard.

"This is…that magic from before." He noted while staring down at it. "Just what is your –"

"I was right. You are a monster." Irene interrupted him. She lifted her face to show a deadly serious look. "But then again, so was I. And the things I'm going to do in this empire might mean some sacrifices along the way. However, I will need time, and that is why I'll have to cut this show short. Sorry, Dragon King, but this play has come to an end."

And so she cried out a loud voice. **"UNIVERSE ONE!"**

In an instant, the whole area was covered in bright red light. The magic of a new generation had been activated once again.

* * *

Tatsumi let out a groan. His head was a bit in pain before he opened his eyes. Once his vision cleared, he saw the ceiling and recognized it.

"I'm…back in my room in Night Raid?"

"Tatsumi!" Sayo's voice cried out.

Before the childhood friend could respond, she ran over to him and embraced him. Of course, the teenage boy was confused, and even sat up to see his friend well. She was able to let go of him, but once he got a look at her face, he noticed Leone standing by the door with a short smile on her face.

"It's about time you woke up, kid. You've been unconscious for a week." She said.

"A week?!" Tatsumi shouted in shock. "B-But how?! T-There's just no way I could've been –"

"Leone!" Sayo looked back at her angrily. "Don't joke around like that! Tatsumi's only been unconscious since last night."

Tatsumi sighed in relief. He should've known that Leone would play such a mean joke at him. He even glared at her. "That's not cool, you know."

"Oops?" Leone remarked with a shrug.

The teen decided to put that aside, and turn to Sayo. "Thanks for looking out for me. But I'm kind of confused. What happened?"

Leone's expression became serious. When Sayo looked back at her, the both of them exchanged a tensed look on their face. Tatsumi noticed and became concerned. He was already fearing something bad had happened.

"Sayo will fill you in on the current situation." Leone said and turned to the door. "I'm going to notify the boss that you're awake."

The door was closed behind her. Tatsumi and Sayo were left in silence until Sayo sat at the edge. She had to inform her childhood friend about their position now.

"Acnologia, Mine and Sheele are nowhere to be seen." Sayo started by saying. "Right now, it's 12:33 in the afternoon, and the Capital is kind of in a frenzy. The courtyard we were in that night has been…turned into some kind of mix between a swamp, a forest and a snowy mountain."

Tatsumi was almost speechless. Just what had happened since he lost conscious? He really wanted to know the possibility of what Sayo was saying. He knew she wasn't lying, but still it was a surprise.

"How?" He asked.

"Universe One." Sayo answered. "It would seem that was the magic Acnologia was talking about before his disappearance."

"You don't believe that was magic, right?" Tatsumi was doubtful. "It had to be from her Teigu."

Sayo became a bit quiet. She wanted to compose herself without shouting out the obvious. No one in Night Raid even believed that was magic despite the fact that the staff had no real connection to her. Now that she thought of it, why did the woman carrying that anyway?

No, she couldn't let her mind wonder. If no one in Night Raid believed in magic, then maybe she can get her close friend to think otherwise.

"I do believe it, Tatsumi. I can use magic now." To prove her point, she raised her hand and magically caused an arrow to appear out of thin air.

Tatsumi was flabbergasted. He has known Sayo ever since they were kids. They even grew up in the same village and trained together with Ieyasu. So if she knew magic, he and Ieyasu certainly would've known. But here she was, her palm open with a glistening arrow hovering above it.

Her eyes glowed yellow.

"You need to know the truth." She said solemnly.

Tatsumi prepared his mind for what was coming.

* * *

Najenda was on her usual chair in the same room she debriefed with her subordinates. Last night's incident was still on her mind. She could still remember what transpired an hour after she had seen a bright light shining even at Night Raid HQ.

Just what had it been? She wondered at the time.

Apparently, a new enemy had commenced a strange ability she called 'Universe One'. Reports were coming that it had spread to the edges of the empire. And yet the only damage it did was at the center of the battle that ensued with Night Raid, Acnologia and the mysterious woman.

The Capital was mostly fine. The only thing strange was the courtyard. It was basically just a huge foreign land in the heart of the empire.

Worse of all was her subordinates. Akame and Bulat had made it back to the hideout that night, but Leone had taken until that morning to arrive. Apparently, she had to hitch a ride with some travelers at the east side of the empire. Mine and Sheele were, unfortunately, unaccounted for.

'_Just who is that woman? And just when we assumed Esdeath was the worst…' _She questioned.

According to what Akame and Leone told her, the woman's name was Irene. No matter how many times the name rang through her head, she couldn't pinpoint where she heard that name.

Irene and Acnologia obviously shared a past. Leone had guessed that the battle in the courtyard wasn't even their first. But the mystery behind her still remained, just as much as it did with Acnologia, who was almost missing.

As much as she didn't want to admit it at first, they really needed the dark dragon's assistance. Irene was someone she guessed was stronger than Esdeath. Just where had she been all this time? She couldn't figure that out. Probably, she and Acnologia came from a country out of the reach of the empire.

But now that she thought about the two of them, a familiar face popped up to mind. Truth be told, this wasn't the first time she had met someone with questionable powers.

"Hey, boss. Are you doing alright?" Leone asked as she approached her.

Najenda's mind snapped back to the present. Leone was standing directly in front of her.

"I'm fine, for the most part." Najenda answered.

Lubbock's voice joined in. "That's not good for your health, Najenda-san, not that I can blame you." He was coming from the front door, when he decided to report in. "Seems like things haven't settled down yet in the Capital. But there's a bit of good news. I received a letter in our secret hideout in the Capital. Mine and Sheele are okay. But it's going to take them probably two or three days to get back."

"Huh, where can they have popped up?" Leone asked.

"At some village down south of the empire." Lubbock answered. "Sheele has her Teigu just like you and Akame. They should be fine."

"That's good." Najenda said. "Until they've returned, all assassination missions will be postponed. We're facing a new threat, and right now I think information-gathering is the best we can do for now."

"Because of that woman?" Leone asked and snarled. She punched her fist into her palm. "Just give me another match! I'll beat her up so bad that she won't know what hit her! That'll teach her to take my Teigu!"

"You'll do no such thing!" Najenda commanded. "If Acnologia was here, we might've been able to get the information we need. But he's missing without any trace."

"I guess that makes sense." Lubbock agreed. "From what Akame said, that woman sees Acnologia as a bigger threat than any of us. She probably sent him as far away from the Capital as possible."

"You're right." Najenda replied. "Tatsumi was found at the outskirts of the Capital. Sayo woke in a cave miles away from the Capital with just the courtyard's floor underneath her. We know the rest about Akame and Bulat."

"Just what is her Teigu?" Lubbock questioned. "Obviously, it isn't her staff since she was able to use her abilities without it. She was even immune to Murasame's poison. Only three people have been able to defend themselves despite the poison's effect."

"Three people?" Leone asked with a confused look. "Wait, don't you mean two people? Acnologia is one of them."

Najenda and Lubbock exchanged looks. Obviously, they knew something she didn't know about.

"You haven't heard about the first one, have you?" Najenda asked.

Lubbock explained. "You see, long before Akame deserted the empire, there was a person who continuously opposed the empire. Even the Revolutionary Army is considering having the insignia located at the back of his hand as the flag of the new country."

Najenda added. "He even fought General Budo numerous times. Some say that he won each battle, while others said the battles always ended in a standstill."

"Wow, and I'm just hearing about this now?! Why?!"

"Because he's dead." Najenda answered with a grim tone.

Leone was a bit taken aback by this news. She should've guessed that someone with such praise would've been hunted down by the empire. Already, she had a feeling of the person responsible.

"The one who defeated him in battle is the ice general herself." Najenda revealed.

"Esdeath." Leone snarled.

* * *

Ever since its birth, the empire has been growing. Each moment, it found ways to expand its borders by claiming smaller kingdoms and tribes as a part of its own. That wasn't any different than at the north, where at the snowy regions, the empire had conquered one of the most powerful tribes.

But there was a bit of a dilemma that made Esdeath feel uncomfortable. After the bright red light last night, reports has been coming in about what seemed to be random attacks. The cause of it was currently unknown, and it was getting on her nerves.

One thing she noted was the scorch marks in many areas. Whatever had been the source, it had torn down houses, burnt up her men to the point that they can't be recognized, and seemed to evade her…until now.

Despite the snow, there was a big heatwave coming from a battle.

Maybe she shouldn't call it a battle. Even though most of her men were involved, it was really just a massacre, and when she made it to the scene, she was infuriated at what he saw.

Her Three Beast Warriors were amongst those involved. Liver lay on the ground, covered with his own blood as scorch marks were on almost every part of his body.

"Esdeath…sama…" Liver called out to her weakly. "We're…We're sorry. We were…too weak to face him. Daidara and Nyau are…"

"Enough." She interrupted him and began walking away. "Gather whatever strength you have left and evacuate my remaining forces."

"Yes…madam." Liver said and staggering went back on his feet.

Despite his condition, he was going to fulfill his mistress's orders. Besides, knowing her, the intruder would be dealt with just like any other person that dared to face the ice general herself.

Speaking of the intruder, she could already see him. His back was facing her, with his high collared black cloak and long blue hair blissfully moving with the hot wind. He didn't look all that much to her, but Esdeath was curious.

"So you're the one who did all of this. You're not really what I would've expected. The last man to cause this much of a panic actually looked appropiate."

He seemed unimpressed, but he was a bit curious by that statement. Despite having woken up at this region in the morning, he was aware that he has killed hundreds of the empire's soldiers. His reason? It was to actually see her for himself.

"Are you an Ice Mage?" He asked and moved his head slightly towards her.

"I'm the one who asks the questions here." Esdeath stated with a malicious tone. "You come here and kill my pets. Don't think you'll be walking away from this alive."

He huffed a little and smiled. There was no hint of fear coming from him.

"I don't sense any magic from you. You should consider that as a good thing, because now I have no business with you."

With that, he began to walk away from the scene. Esdeath wasn't happy about that action. In anger, she swiped her hand in the air, which caused a pillar of ice to engulf the dark-skinned man as a whole. In an instant he was frozen.

"Hmph! Such a fool!" Esdeath scoffed.

A bit curious, she then went to the front of the frozen person, and inspected his face.

"Such an odd face. And what are those markings? It doesn't resemble anything the tribe men have here." Seeing no response, she turned away and looked at the carnage he caused. "Now that I think about it more, he kind of reminds me of the last man who did this, although he lasted longer than this. Saying things like 'Mage' and 'Magic' almost reminds me of what he called himself. 'A Mage of Fairy Tail, Yuri Dreyar'."

Esdeath's instincts suddenly kicked in. Without any thought, she jumped away, just in time to avoid the frozen person's hand. It actually shot out of the ice, which she then watch explode as she skidded back.

"Fairy Tail. I think I've heard that name before. And you said you encountered a man from that guild?" Acnologia couldn't hid his grin anymore. He laughed out loud and spread his arm apart. "Congratulations, human! Now you're going to tell me everything you know about him!"

Esdeath's lips shaped to a smile. "Do you know who I am?" As she asked, she spread her arms apart, which caused various ice spikes to appear in the air. Each one was pointed at Acnologia's direction.

All she needed was to motion her fingers. The spikes went straight for the man without any hesitance.

None of that seemed to faze him. With just a huff and his eyes widened, an invisible force cleared the whole ice spikes, as well as destroy any remaining houses, bodies and ground that remained.

Esdeath created a wall to protect her. The shockwave caused by no hand motion was indeed a surprise, but she hid the expression. As for the man, he slowly began to walk towards her, through the frosty mist his attack created, with his red eyes being the only visible thing besides his silhouette.

"You once said that I won't be leaving here alive. Clearly, you haven't heard of me – not that I can blame you." He snickered and stepped out of the mist. "**I am the King of Dragons, the monster from the Book of the Apocalypse, Acnologia. And right now, I'm the worst person you should meet.**"

* * *

**OOOOOOOHHHHH BOY! ACNOLOGIA IS ABOUT TO GO DOWN ON ESDEATH! WILL SHE ACTUALLY MAKE IT ALIVE OR WILL SHE PROVE TO BE A TRUE WORTHY OPPONENT FOR ACNOLOGIA?! **

Next chapter will feature what happened to Acnologia prior to the confrontation, as well as the inevitable battle with the ice general. God Serena and Irene will also make another appearance.

For those of you who may not know, Yuri Dreyar is/was a founding member of Fairy Tail. He's the father of Makarov, and the great grandfather of Laxus. I decided to bring in yet another Fairy Tail for good reasons. You'll just have to wait and see what the reasons are.

And before anyone asks, yes I'm aware of the full function of Universe One. However, Irene didn't want to dispose millions of people, hence why she narrowed down the affected places.

Anyway, I know Acnologia and Irene didn't fight like everyone expected. I actually intended it until I decided to have it turnout the way it did. Looking back at the fight between them in the anime, I realize that Irene would never confront Acnologia without being certain about a good outcome for her. I also realized that hundreds of sleeping residents would be in the crossfire, so there was that.

Now, about Sayo's fate. I've decided…..not to kill her off. I never really had the intention to kill her off. Unlike Ieyasu in my other fanfiction, I have more plans for her, so look forward to that.

By the way, do you guys want Sayo to be in the love triangle? I actually have Sheele and Leone in the triangle. But if I add Sayo, it would be a love…square? (Is that even a thing?) unless you want me to exclude either Sheele or Leone in the triangle. It's not too late to change that course. Just let me know your thoughts on that in the reviews.

Kolomte' 49 made a suggestion for my Youtube Channel. I truly appreciate that he did. Right now the channel sits at 13 subscribers (though I very much want it to be more than that). But I have to decline. I want to discuss popular topics, so right now I'm seeking popular animes or real life topics (Second video is ongoing). But thanks for the suggestion.

For those you that don't know, my Youtube channel is finally up. The link is right here = watch?v=tEXoncEYCeI&t=13s

I'm currently working on the second video, which is a huge step up. Not only is the video editing improved, but the audio, my avatar, and my narration has been given a better boost.

When I made the first video, only two people pointed out my errors in the video. One of them was an actual Youtuber, who gave me some helpful tips. She's actually a good friend of mine and used to read one of my fanfictions. The second person was an outsider in real life, though the Youtuber friend disagrees with her.

Anyway, just please go and subscribe to the channel. My friend and I have set up a , because it would really help us improve on the channel. Plus, I can update both my fanfictions and videos faster if enough donors contribute. Of course, there are rewards for those that donate. So please subscribe. The link this time is correct, so just copy and paste it.

Thank you for reading my rant. Please let me know your thoughts in the reviews. Also, please continue to support the fanfiction by favorite and follow. See you guys in the next chapter!

EDIT: Forgot to add the link to the channel. Just copy and paste it, and please subscribe and like. Next video is 70% done

YouTube Channel link: watch?v=tEXoncEYCeI&t=13s


	6. Return of the Dragon King

Hello there, my lovely readers! Hope you're having a wonderful day/night. Welcome back to this fanfiction.

Thank you for supporting this fanfiction and the Youtube Channel. I noticed a small spike in the number of subscribers in the channel. So again, you have my deepest thanks.

I've been thinking, and I would like to make a manga out of this story. That way, other readers/viewers of Fairy Tail and Akame ga kill can get to read this manga and see it as a 'possible scenario'. I know some people felt sorry for Irene, so it would be a sense of closure to them.

So if you're interested in that idea, go and support me on . Link to it can be found on my Youtube Channel's description, or at the end of this chapter.

WARNING: FIRST PART OF THIS CHAPTER IS INSANELY GRUESOME! IF YOU'RE A FAN OF AKAME GA KILL, YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN! SKIP OVER TO THE TRANSITION IF YOU CAN'T STOMACH WHAT IS ABOUT TO HAPPEN!

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN ANY TV SHOW. CAN ANYONE TELL ME WHY WE DO THIS DISCLAIMERS? LIKE SERIOUSLY, WHY?**

Now on with the chapter.

**Chapter 6: Return of the Dragon King **

Conditions in the Northern Tribe may be cold, but it was always peaceful. Sure, the region was one of the coldest places in the world, and the blizzards were more than an annoyance, however the people adjusted to it for over a century. It was their home, and with their hero and prince, Numa Seika they could stand against any outside threat.

The empire has been trying to overtake them for years now. But time and time again, the empire failed, as the Northern Tribe's defenses were one of the best in the world. No one could break through it. And with Numa Seika alive, their survival for many more years was assured.

Or at least that's what it should've been.

Every citizen was living their lives as usual, when suddenly the church's bell rang. It could only mean one thing that the people feared the most. Their prince, 'The Hero of the North' had fallen, and with that, their defenses have been breached.

No one really knew what to do but panic. Everyone has heard about the empire's cruelty, and now they will be expressing it firsthand. Of course, the guards fought as best as they could, but they were dealt with very easily, and then **she **made her appearance.

As the empire's soldiers ransack the capital, they rounded up everyone, making sure to cause as much fear as possible – be it groping the wives and daughters in front of their husbands, fiancés and boyfriends – before rounding them up to the main town square.

The soldiers were lusting for the women. That much was clear by their actions. But they appeared to be under orders to restrain their sexual urges…for now. So when they broke down doors, went through every hidden places they could find, and dragged anyone that was unfortunate to be in their grasp, every citizen was brought to watch an execution, and something much more horrifying.

Not that many knew about General Esdeath. Even as she stood on top of a podium of ice, only a few recognized her from rumors outside the Northern Tribe. How these people knew about it was from the cold glare coming from her, and the stand of authority and fear-bringer coming from.

There was an intimidating aura coming from her. But the worse came when they saw the royal family knelt by on the side of the ice podium. Their royal winter clothes stripped of them, leaving them naked.

"Is this everyone?" Esdeath asked to her Three Beast Warriors.

Until now, these three men were only stuff of rumors and tales to some occupants of the Northern Tribes. Said to follow the command of a brutal general, they were ruthless in everything they did, and now they were standing directly behind the shamed and disgraced royal family.

"Most of them, Esdeath-sama." Liver said. "It would appear that the last born of the family has been hidden."

"Just give us the command. We'll find her." Nyau insisted with excitement.

Esdeath shot that down. "No, leave her for now. We'll have the time to find her" With that said, she walked over to the naked king and gripped his long gray hair. She then yanked it and saw his angered face. "So you're the king. I'm hardly impressed."

"Just you wait…" The king yelled. "My son will make you pay for this! That I swear!"

Esdeath's lips shaped to a mischievous smile, and she snapped her fingers. Just then, chains clacking was heard, followed by gasps of horror and shock. Even the queen and her daughter were speechless at what they saw.

Esdeath blocked the king's view. She moved away for him to witness the same thing his subjects and family were seeing.

His eyes widened in instant shock. He was baffled, as the pride and anger he once carried shattered in an instant.

"I'm sorry, father…" Numa Seika said with his head bowed. Standing naked with his arms and ankles chained, he added with a humiliated voice. "I've fai – ARGGHH!"

Esdeath interrupted him with a strong kick to his private part. His body, in response, shook violently, before his legs gave him, and he fell on his knees. The ice general then presented her shoe to his face.

"Clean it." She commanded.

The hero hissed with pure hatred in his eyes. "Like hell I'll – URGHHH!"

Esdeath kicked him in the face. On her face was the look of a displeased master. "You still have some fight in you huh. We can't have any of that, now can we? Dogs are only supposed to grovel and eat the crumbs of its master."

"I'm no dog!" He cried out with rage. "You may've beaten me in one-on-one combat, but I'll get out of this and make you pay for this!"

Esdeath smiled again. "Is that so? Truth be told, I want to let you go, knowing that you'll cause a revolt. I look forward to such conflicts; it entertains me. But I've been ordered to bring down the hero and execute the royal family…starting with the king."

"What?!" The queen, princess and the hero cried out in shock.

The king barely had a chance to respond before his head was sent rolling on the floor. His blood splashed on his wife's face and on the floor. In an instant the crowd cried in shock and horror, with a scene of panic happening instantly. Some of them tried to run away, but they were executed by Esdeath's soldiers.

"NO! STOP!"

Though the Numa pleaded, his cries went on deaf ears. He watched with utmost horror and shock as women, children and men were executed right before him. These were the people he was supposed to protect, and now he was helpless as he watched what he could only describe as a massacre.

"Enough!" Esdeath ordered. With her own voice, her soldiers stopped and the massacre was suspended. She then looked over to him. "I think you know what to do."

"Yes…I do." The hero yielded.

Esdeath's grin grew. "What was that? Dogs don't talk."

The hero 'barked' like a dog, with a tone of disgrace. But the ice general wasn't pleased with it.

"That doesn't sound like a dog." With that, she snapped her finger.

Daidara raised his axe above his head. The queen was next to be killed. She pleaded for her life, but was silenced in the same way her husband had been dealt with. Now it was just the daughter that remained, and she stared at the hero with a pleading and despaired-driven face.

Esdeath didn't need to give the command for him to comply. The prince/hero began to bark as best as he could while tears streamed down his face. Those who were still alive watched in utter horror and angst as their once proud hero began to grovel and act like a dog.

Only a few understood his reason for this. He needed to preserve sister's life and their own. So whatever remained of their hero was sacrificing his own pride to save her.

But his act wasn't enough to stop the inevitable.

Esdeath snapped her fingers, and Daidara raised his axe high.

"No! Please, don't kill me!" The Princess cried out to Daidara.

His monstrous grin said otherwise. He was going to kill her, but not without watching her plead in despair. It was even more enjoyable when she looked over to the hero.

"What are you waiting for?! Lick her damn boot faster! Don't you love me anymore?! Act like a dog and lick her –"

Daidara silenced her too.

In an instant, any semblance of the man he was before was shattered. The hero came to terms with his own weakness. So when he continued licking her boot, he didn't mind the looks he was getting. None of that mattered anymore. In his own mind, he had nothing to live for but to be Esdeath's dog.

"Sir." Called one soldier. He saluted directly at Esdeath from the ground and asked. "What do you suppose we should do with the rest?"

"Do as you please. Enjoy yourselves to your hearts' contempt."

The soldier grinned, and with that, one of the worst incidence happened. Not only was there bloodshed, but mass rape went about, as cries and pleas went ignored. Some people called for their hero, but he never made a response to their own cries. He just kept cleaning Esdeath's boot with his tongue, like a good dog would do.

* * *

"Here, drink this, princess."

"T-Thank you."

Princess Delilah took the small bowl and drank from it. Three days have passed since the invasion on the Northern Tribe. It has also been three days since the seven year old princess had seen her family.

She could still remember the time she spent with them. They had dinner, and after that she was escorted to her room by her maids to nap. Next thing she knew, Captain Maria of the 7th Division was waking her up to take her away. The capital of the Northern Tribes was being attacked.

Captain Maria was a woman in her mid-twenties. Known to be one of the most promising soldiers, she was also rumored to be in a secret relationship with the hero/prince, Numa Seika. She wore blue armor with a white cape. She also long braided brown hair, and blue eyes.

At the moment, they were in one of the secret bunkers underneath the capital. It was built during the first years the empire attempted to invade. Back then, the empire had posed a threat before the Northern Tribes were miraculously able to negate their attacks. That was centuries ago. Since then the bunkers haven't been used…until recently.

Princess Delilah finished the bread she was given. It was nothing like the good food her chef would cook for her and the royal family. She hated how things have become. Fortunately, she understood the situation they were in, and didn't bother the captain anymore.

But there was one question that came to mind.

"Are we going to be okay?" She asked.

The Captain found it difficult to respond. Unknown to her, she has been sneaking out of the bunker, getting food supplies and finding any way they could flee the region. The Northern Tribes has fallen, which was obvious from what she has seen, but she won't give up.

For now, he has to keep protecting her no matter the cause.

"I don't know about myself, but…I'm going to make sure you get out of this alive and well. I promise."

"Please…don't say that. I…I've already lost my father…mother…and big sister."

The Captain was surprised, before sadness overcame her voice and face.

"So…you already knew. I'm sorry."

"Don't be." She replied. "You saved me just in the nick of time. I…I just wish big brother was here with us. He always knew the right words to say."

"Indeed, he did." She couldn't help but smile at the ceiling. "I know things looks hopeless now, and you feel like there isn't anything you can do, just keep this in mind." He then looked at her. "When you make it out of here, when you get out of this region, find something ambitious for yourself."

"Ambitious? Do you mean like revenge?" She asked with a confused face.

"Perhaps, but that's really up to you." She replied. "Just don't let it blind you. Many men have fallen when they've let it controlled them. That's probably led General Absai to his death."

"I see…" She smiled a little bit. "He was a good man. He scared me a lot though. Too bad he's gone now."

Captain Maria chuckled. "He fought valiantly. He always had that vibe coming from him." Then he shifted his tone. "But seriously. Promise me you'll stay alive, even when things seem grim and hopeless."

She frowned. "You say that like you're going to die."

"If it's to protect you…" She grunted and rose from the ground. "I'll do it a thousand times."

"Okay. I promise."

"Thank you."

Everything from that moment became quiet. But then it was interrupted when the door's hinges exploded and launched the metal thing straight at the princess. Fortunately, she was saved before she could be flattened.

Captain Maria may not seem like it, but her speed was admirable. Not only did she get the princess out of the way, she placed her on the floor and drew out her sword, ready to fight.

"Princess, you have to listen to me." She said while staring at the black smoke at the only entrance/exit in front of them. "You're going to have to stay still. Whatever you do, don't stray far from me until I say otherwise. Got it?"

"Y-Yes!" She nodded and went behind him with fear.

Just then, Imperial soldiers rushed in. Captain Maria responded by letting out a battle cry. That speed of hers enabled her to cut down as many soldiers that poured in as possible. She then carried the princess in one arm and rushed out of the bunker.

"There she is! Open fire!"

A bunch of soldiers stood at the only passageway to the bunker. Moving her cape to hide the princess, he then struck his sword at the cement floor and pulled out two smoke bombs, which was followed by her throwing it against them.

Almost immediately, the soldiers were blinded and taken aback by the surprise attack. Captain Maria used this as a chance to charge straight at them and cut them down with his sword. When she emerged out of the end, the bodies of the soldiers fell to the ground.

However, they weren't out of danger yet.

Just as she turned to another passageway, another group of soldiers came charging at them. Captain Maria decided to fight them head on. She went to the first soldier and cut his neck before the guy could respond.

The soldier behind that guy attempted to stab her, but the captain was quick to bend down and do a spin. Her sword struck the stomach of that person, before he stood up as that soldier fell to the ground, and kicked away the third soldier's sword.

That soldier was dealt with a swift cut at the neck. The captain didn't pay him a glance once she passed his fallen corpse. Instead, she threw her sword against the fourth soldier, killing that man at the forehead, and grabbed his sword from his fallen body.

She then kicked the fifth soldier at the throat, and thrusted her sword at his stomach.

No soldier seemed to stand a chance against her. It helped that the passageway was kind of tight, thus making it impossible for more than two soldiers to attack at once.

So she continued cutting them down with each encounter. Meanwhile, the princess clung on to the captain, scared at what she fortunately wasn't allowed to see. She just wished it kept her from hearing the fight.

Captain Maria sensed her fear. "Don't worry, princess, we're almost there!"

She barely nodded, though that went unnoticed by the captain. All they had to do was pass another corridor, and they'd be at the exit. Anything after that would just be pure luck. In fact, the captain wasn't certain about the outcome of this whole battle.

However, she won't get the chance to know. Just as they were about to pass the corridor, a fist slammed against her face, knocking her to the ground on her back. Taken aback, both by the surprise and the blunt of the attack, she unconsciously released the princess, who also fell to the ground as well.

"There you are."

Another combatant had arrived, and it was one of the few people they had hoped not to encounter. Daidara of the Three Beast Warriors has found them.

"So, that's where the princess has been. Esdeath-sama has been looking for you." He said with a mischievous grin.

"You…" Captain Maria groaned while getting up. The bruise on her face was obvious as blood went down her face. "I know about you. You're one of Esdeath's monsters."

Daidara chuckled. "Is that supposed to make me feel bad? Just so you know, I actually like the tone of your voice. Too bad you won't be making it out of here."

Captain Maria growled with a low tone and bent down to grab her sword. Rookie mistake, however, as it left her open to a swift kick to the stomach. Diadara's kick was enough to send her rolling on the ground.

"Maria!" Princess cried out. She was barely able to get back on her feet, when Daidara walked past her.

"Go…!" The captain cried out in a mix of pain and anger. "Get out of here, Princess! I'll hold him off while you escape!"

"But what about –"

"Just go! Now!"

Princess Delilah was scared. Her tears wouldn't stop flowing down her cheek. Seeing the beaten and weak stance from her only friend left was very heartbreaking. But she did as she was told, and ran off as fast as she could.

Now it was just her and Daidara.

"You must really be ready to die." The Three Beast member mocked. "How precious. But I'll give you a chance to fight."

"What? Why?" Captain Maria was understandably confused.

"It's simple." His motive became clear. "You see, I collect points based on every battle. You may be small, but you have some power in you."

"You monster." She snarled. "So there really is no sympathy in that dark heart of yours."

Daidara was unchanged. He simply kicked the captain's sword to her, and allowed her to pick it up without any interruption this time. It was only when the woman got to a stance that he actually said something very nerving.

"Take this as your last chance to fight, because that princess of yours is about to follow the same path her family went."

"DAMN YOU!"

Captain Maria wasted no time to charge at the large man, filled with hatred and anger. Once she was done with him, she'll have to find the princess and keep her away from harm.

* * *

When Princess Delilah made it away, she found out something very scary. She was lost.

Unlike Captain Thomas, she didn't know the way through the tunnels, nor did she have the intuition to find her way out. There was just so many tunnels, that if it weren't for a hatch opening from the ceiling, she would've been crying.

"Over here! Come quickly!"

A hand reached out to her to grab. There was a ladder that led to the hatch. Princess Delilah was cautious about this stranger, thus she asked the obvious question.

"Who are you?"

"I'm a friend! Now hurry!"

The princess was reluctant. With everything that has happened, she wasn't about to accept someone that she didn't even recognize. The person kept insisting though, and soon she could hear slow footsteps, followed by something being dragged from afar in the tunnel.

"Hurry!" The voice insisted.

Princess Delilah caved in to the pressure. She climbed up the ladder, putting as much strength as she could muster, before grabbing the hand that offered itself to her.

However, it would prove to be a very fatal mistake on her part. Just as she had accepted it, the person pulled her to the surface with force, before a feeling of dread spread all over her body.

Nyau smiled creepily and said. "Good job, princess. I'm so proud of you."

Not a word could escape her mouth. When she saw the Imperial soldiers standing by, she knew more than enough that she had messed up. Nyau kept her suspended in the air, before a familiar voice called out from the tunnel.

"Hey! Make way! I have something for her!"

Nyau took her away from the entrance. Once that happened, Captain Maria blood-covered body was flung out of the hole, and hit the snowy ground. Princess Delilah was horrified by the sight. The woman was badly injured, to the point that her own hair soaked some of her blood, and she lacked her right arm.

Liver arrived on the scene and made his way to the heavily injured captain.

"You have my respect, Captain Maria. Not only did you fight valiantly, but you were able to hide the girl for a long time. I've not met a woman with skills such like yours for a long time. However, Esdeath-sama's orders are absolute."

Princess Delilah kicked Nyau by the chin, and was freed. Though she hit the snowy ground, she was quick to get back on her feet and rush over to Captain Maria.

"You bitch!" Nyau shouted and took a step to get her. However, he was held back by Daidara, who had come out of the tunnels.

He didn't stop him for the good of the girl. Liver was there, so it wasn't like the girl will be leaving the place alive. But that didn't stop her, as she ran over to her injured friend.

"No…Don't…" Captain Maria told her with a weak voice. "Run…now."

"No, I won't! I'm not leaving you!" She cried out with tears.

Liver interjected. "She's right. She won't be leaving you."

That dread feeling from before came back. Captain Maria and Princess Delilah watched as a blade came from the sleeve of the old man. Whether it was by coincidence or by fate, Delilah's reflection appeared on it.

"You've tried your best. Now, rejoin your family."

Liver's blade them came for a head. Captain Maria cried out her name, but it did nothing to change what happened.

Princes Delilah's eyes were wide when she saw the blade. With a face of shock and fear, her end was nearer than she had thought. But then, she was taken aback when she appeared in the arm of someone else. Stranger than that, she was now some feet away from Liver.

"Looks like I made it in time." said the stranger.

Daidara, Nyau and Liver and Captain Thomas were taken aback. No one had seen the stranger coming. The same was with the Imperial soldiers, with some of them letting out murmurs amongst themselves at what seemed so sudden.

Now all eyes were on the stranger. His back was against them, covered by a black cape as his long blue hair danced slightly against the cold wind. His appearance was particularly odd, mainly because the northern region were known to be very cold. That was why everyone was dressed in winter clothes.

But not the stranger who just arrived. He wore some trousers, but that wasn't enough to block out the cold. His feet were visible, and with just the cape, his chest and arms were likely visible. He shouldn't even be able to move at this climate, and yet he was.

No one could see his face until he turned for them to see. Liver was instantly struck with a sense of danger. That dark-skinned stern face was unlike anything he has seen before. And that's what scared him.

"This man…he's dangerous." Liver muttered.

Princess Delilah was sitting on the mysterious man's arm, when she asked. "Uh, who are you?"

"Help." He simply answered.

Just then, Daidara made his move. He too had sense the danger that Liver felt. But unlike the far experienced man, he saw that as a chance to get a strong opponent.

"Diadara! No! Stay back!" Liver shouted, but it was too late.

Diadara's eagerness for battle got the better of him. He showed up close to the mysterious man and swung his axe at his side, expecting a swift kill. However, he was shocked at what happened next.

Without any indication, the blue-haired man went for the axe's blade and bite down on it. His teeth broke through the rare and powerful metal the Teigu was made of, shattering most of its blade to pieces that fell to the snowy ground.

Princess Delilah should be scared at the sight. Unlike everyone else, she got an up close view of the swift and unexpected counterattack. In a way, she found it memorizing, because not only did he bite one side, the damage spread to the whole blade.

Daidara was taken aback by the attack.

"What?! You just bite my Teigu?!" He exclaimed.

Those would be the last words he said. With a punch at his chin, his head was sent flying into the air, before the rest of his body slumped to the ground. Blood from both his head and body sprayed on the snow-covered ground.

The mysterious man pulled down his fist. Everyone were deeply shocked when they saw his unfazed face. To kill someone like Daidara without even turning to face him, such a person must be dangerous.

"So that was a Teigu? I've seen better." He commented with a bored tone.

'_Just what is he?' _Captain Maria was flabbergasted at the attack. _'With just a punch, he killed a monster that almost sent me to my grave. And now he's protecting the princess.' _

"Open fire!" shouted one Imperial soldier.

Every soldier there immediately pulled out their guns and fired at the mysterious man. Before that happened, he brought the princess closer to his body, before seemingly disappearing out of sight. When he was seen again, it was at that exact spot again, with only a mere second that had passed.

Nyau, Captain Thomas and Liver found out the outcome. Every soldier suddenly cried out in pain as certain parts of their bodies were sent flying and blood spraying everywhere. Acnologia seemed unchanged by it, but it was obvious by the blood on his free hand that he was the cause of the unseen kills.

"W-What?!" Nyau exclaimed in shock. "How was he able to take them down so fast?!"

He couldn't believe what he was seeing. The only one to have ever made him feel this much fear was Esdeath. However, he hated fearing someone besides his own mistress. As such, he pulled out his Teigu which was a flute and began playing.

'_I won't let him get away with it! Even Daidara was taken aback by –'_

"Hey!"

Nyau was taken aback when he saw the mysterious man standing directly in front of him. Both their faces were at the same level, but with a huge difference. He was staring straight into his eyes with a pissed off expression.

Nyau was scared.

"That noise you make pisses me off!"

No sooner did he say that, he executed Nyau right on the spot. Again, Delilah witnessed yet another killing, but in another form. The mysterious man thrust his arm right through the young man's stomach, and lifted his body off the ground.

Nyau spat out blood unintentionally on the man's face.

"How…?" He looked very pathetically with blood on his lips. "That lullaby…was supposed to make you sleep."

"That was a lullaby? Kind of stupid to play that, don't you think?"

Nyau couldn't answer. His ghost had given up, thus he was now just a corpse with a thrusted arm through him. The mysterious man threw the body away and flung his arm in the air to get rid of the blood. The bit of blood on his face evaporated when he heated his face.

Now there was just one more person to deal with.

"Just…what are you?" Liver asked.

He was trying to hide back the reluctance and fear in his voice. Though he was ready to die, the fashion which this unknown person had killed his comrades was alarming. So if he were to survive, he would need to be swift about it.

He snuck his hand into his coat. Maybe he could buy some time by talking with him.

"I'm…Acnologia." The stranger revealed.

"Quite the odd name. But obviously you're not from here." Liver assumed with a calm attitude. "Do you realize what you've gotten yourself into? This is the empire's occupation force you just killed."

"The empire, you say?" Acnologia questioned, and smirked a bit. "I was just at the Capital a while ago. Then that High Enchantress forced me to this place. So I thought I might as well look around."

'_High Enchantress? I'm not familiar with such a person.' _He continued the conversation. "And that's how you came here."

"Exactly. Of course, I could go right back anytime I want. I just want to explore this world a bit longer. You see, I've never been good at staying at one place for a long time."

"So you're a traveler."

Now was his chance. He pulled an injection right out and pierced the needle into his skin. "Unfortunately for you, this is where your end comes! For the sake of Esdeath-sama, I won't let you get away from this alive!"

"Esdeath?"

Acnologia was unfazed by what happened next. Liver's ring shined red before lifting his hand up and focusing on the power.

"Hope you don't mind me doping! However, you're clearly a strong opponent that I cannot defeat by normal means! That's why I'll go straight to my trump card and end this!"

"A Trump Card?" Acnologia's smirk dropped. "I'm not impressed."

"You don't have to."

With that said, the blood of every fallen soldier, and those of the two dead Three Beast Warriors, flowed from their respective corpses and came above Liver in the form of a giant red ball of blood.

"**Blood Dragons Divine Conquest!"**

Just as the name implied, the blood shaped into dragons and came straight at Acnologia. They numbered about ten, with their heights easily surpassing him.

Delilah was scared by the approaching attack. At the same time, Captain Maria was fearful for the girl she was supposed to protect.

"Princess Delilaaahhhh!"

There was no stopping it now. With this attack, Liver was certain that Acnologia would be dealt with. Even if he somehow survived, he would be too weakened to fight back, thus leaving himself open for Liver to deal the final blow.

However, Acnologia thought otherwise as his free hand was engulfed in blue fire.

"If this was anything but blood, I would've hand a nice snack. But as much of a dragon I am, I don't eat blood. Now disappear."

With just a motion of his hand, he ended Liver's strongest attack. His flames destroyed every blood dragon in an instant, and reached towards Liver and Captain Maria. She was okay, however the same couldn't be said about Liver, who was hit by the fire and sent flying a few feet away.

"Maria!" Princess Delilah cried out.

Though she hadn't been touched by the flames, the princess was still concerned for her friend. Acnologia was surprised when she pushed herself out of his grip. He hadn't put any real grip on her since the danger was dealt with. So he just watched as she ran over to her and hugged her.

"You're not burnt, are you?!"

"No, I'm not. But…" She stopped himself and smiled weakly at her. "Looks like you're going to be okay. I knew you would be."

"What are you talking about?" She wasn't like his tone. Sure, it sounded sweet, but it also sounded like that of a dying woman.

"I'm not going to make it, princess." Those words startled her.

"No, you can't die! As…As the princess of the Northern Tribes, I order you to stay alive! For me! Please, just stay alive!"

Captain Maria summoned the bit of strength she had left. With it, she raised her hand and petted the princess's head. "I can't follow that order…you know that just as much as me."

"N-No…."

She couldn't take it anymore. With a loud cry of pain, she buried her head on the captain's blood covered armor and wept. Acnologia approached them closer without his expression changing. He kind of understood what happened before he came there.

"W-Wait a minute!" Delilah thought of something, and turned to Acnologia. "You can save him, can't you?! Please you have to do something! I…I don't want him to die! I'll do anything!"

"No, Princess!"

She won't her make such a risk for her. As a soldier, she had sworn from the beginning to protect the royal family. So even if it was till her last breathe, she'll protect her. Thus, she pushed herself to sit up, while ignoring every pain in her body, and glared at her seriously.

"Have you forgotten what you promised?! You are the last of the royal family, so it's your duty to make sure the lineage remains alive no matter what! So don't let it end right here! Move on and get stronger!"

Delilah was taken aback by her outburst. This was the first time she had heard the captain be so stern at her. Sadly, It will also be the last time she got this feeling from her.

Her body lost too much blood. With that, her body lost every function before hitting the snowy ground. The last thing she saw was the princess's crying out to her. She could barely hear her voice.

'_Go…Get out of here! You'll be fine…I…know it.'_

Those were her last thoughts before she gave up her ghost. Delilah kept crying to her, and shaking her body to get a response from her. But there was nothing that she could get from her.

"How long are you going to cry?" Acnologia asked sternly. "She's dead. There's nothing you can do about that except honor his last words."

"You…" She muttered while holding her friend's corpse. "You wouldn't understand how I feel… You can take down anything in your way. So, of course, you won't know what it's like to feel hurt…to lose someone you love."

"I do."

That response surprised her. Turning back, she was met with the stern face, but with a hint of something in there. Was that regret?

"No one is born strong. There was a time when I was just like you, weak and powerless to do anything about the circumstances in my life."

"W-What did you do?" Now she was fully attentive to him.

"I made my own destiny."

Those words impacted the young girl more than he would know. Just hearing them were enough to snap her out of the turmoil she had been in. But the scene was interrupted when a huge number of imperial soldiers came charging at them.

"Listen, kid, and hear this…" Acnologia walked past her to face the soldier. "if you're tired of being weak, then grow up to become strong. Honor those who died trying to protect you by overcoming obstacles. Only then…."

He paused and pushed his left fingers up. Suddenly, huge pillars of fire engulfed those soldiers, their screams barely audible as they were burnt beyond ashes. In Delilah's view, the whole thing was spectacle, and made her stare at the Dragon King in awe.

"Only then will you find your own destiny."

"Destiny?"

Acnologia looked back at her and actually smiled in a warm manner. The gesture was more than enough to solidify the seven year old's resolve. As such, she stood up and carried her crown from her head, and hold it tightly in her hands.

"Maria…" She stared down at his corpse. "I'm sorry if I was too needy. I…I understand what I have to do now. Don't worry. I'll keep to my promise, and I'll get stronger…not just for me, but for you. So, until then, please…can you continue watching over me?"

She broke down in tears and fell on her knees. Unlike before, she was honoring her friend by remembering his sacrifice.

* * *

Liver cried out in pain before being brushing through the snowy ground. Covered in burn marks, he was barely able to muster the strength to stand up. At that moment, soldiers of the empire came rushing in, seeing him and recognizing him on the spot.

However, the one to shift their focus was Acnologia. He stood at the top edge of an average house, with a monstrous aura coming from him.

"I hear your general can use ice without any weapon! Where is she?!" Acnologia asked with a demanding tone.

"D-Don't tell him anything!" Liver shouted while trying to get up. "No one must betray Esdeath-sama – ARGH!"

Acnologia was suddenly next to him in a blink of an eye. With just his hand, he sent Liver flying away without a single thought. That was enough to intimidate some of the soldiers. But some of them gathered their courage and pointed their weapons at him.

"Call in backup! We mustn't let this man through!" shouted a senior officer.

"I see…" Acnologia muttered, and a grin formed on his face. His fists were engulfed with flames. "I guess a massacre is in order."

* * *

Having killed over a hundred Imperial soldiers, Esdeath finally made herself known. Soon after, Acnologia had been frozen in ice by the ice general, only to then be freed once he easily broke out. He, originally, found no need of fighting Esdeath since she wasn't an ice mage like he had thought. But the thought changed when she mentioned a 'Mage of Fairy Tail'.

Acnologia's interest was back. Though the name of the guild sounded faintly familiar, he was interested in knowing who Yuri Dreyar was and his fate. But even after using a small percent of his power, General Esdeath seemed unwilling to cooperate.

"You're no ordinary man. That much is clear." Esdeath said and smiled. The ice wall that protected her shattered. "Truth be told, I've been looking for someone to give me an exciting battle. Sadly, no one seems to be able to give me that thrill…until now."

"Idiot." Acnologia called her. "Are you putting yourself to my level? Don't flatter yourself. You're eight hundred years too early to even think about that."

"Hmph!" Esdeath's grin widened.

Just then, the weather began to escalate in the cold regions, turning every place to be covered in some kind of blizzard. Esdeath was ready for battle.

"Then let's begin, so-called Dragon King."

With that, the blizzard covered her from the view of any normal man. Of course, Acnologia could still sense her presence, but for some reason, he chose not to react, instead he remained unaffected.

Esdeath's first move was a pillar of ice. It happened suddenly and sent the Dragon King up into the air. From there, the wind current intensified, causing him to be flung for a few miles. Such a blizzard made it impossible to see anything, including one's self. But Acnologia saw something, and reacted.

Stretching his open hand forward, he was able to catch the same pillar that had shot had shot him in the air just recently. But because he made no motion to stop his own body, he allowed himself to reach the ground, and skid backwards until he came to a stop.

He shattered the whole pillar with just his fingers sunk in. A grin formed on his face, and a thought came to him. Even though Esdeath possessed no magic, her skill was impressive to a level of an ice mage. He wanted to see more.

Esdeath provided that chance again. Slashes made of ice were sent from his right. Sensing them, he dodged them easily, before being taken aback by a bunch of ice spikes that shot from the ground.

Esdeath revealed herself and kicked him in the stomach. With the same grin as before, she followed that by grabbing his neck and did a spin with him still in her grasp. From there, she let him go, but not without stretching her arm at him and causing an ice spike to hit him in the chest.

Acnologia grunted, but his grin never ceased. He was able to recover from that attack, and skid back against the snowy floor.

"So you're still able to move after that? I guess I have to step up a bit." Esdeath's voice was heard through the blizzard.

The weather phenomenon ceased, and for a good reason. Acnologia sensed something above, and looked up. Esdeath was there, but with a snap of her finger, a giant ball of ice came crashing down on the Dragon King.

He decided to defend himself. Despite its mass, Acnologia was able to hold it up with one hand. Esdeath landed directly in front of him, impressed by his strength. Acnologia wasn't though.

"Is this the best you can do?" He asked rhetorically, and in a sense of mockery.

Esdeath chuckled and looked up. "You're able to hold up the first one. But…what will you do about the second one?"

"Second one?"

Just then, he noticed a larger shadow, before the impact happened. Esdeath's second giant ball was bigger that the first one. It came directly down on Acnologia, destroying the first one, and creating a bigger shockwave that rocked the entire area and a few miles away.

Esdeath survived the snow heading her way by standing still. With just her mind, the snow departed because even a molecule of it could touch her. The shockwave and the snow settled afterwards. There was silence immediately.

One would think the battle was over just like that. Esdeath would've been disappointed if that was the case. But she knew better than that, and her confirmation was met when she saw a silhouette of Acnologia standing in the icy fog.

"You survived even those attacks. Not bad."

"Hmph…Is that supposed to be a compliment?" He sounded unimpressed. "If that's all you have to offer, then I must get to the point."

"And just what is 'the point'?"

"The man whom you killed. Yuri Dreyar. I want to hear everything you know about him."

"And if I don't?" Esdeath's curiosity and excitement increased.

Acnologia made a toothy grin. "Then this place shall become your tomb."

"I have a feeling you might commit to that. After all, you've been holding back this whole time." A question then came out from her. "Why is that? Have I startled it a bit?"

"Hmph! Does one bother fighting with a bug?" That remark stung Esdeath and caused her to scowl. Acnologia only smug at it. "You humans are the same to me in level of power. You're nothing but a pebble in my path. Now answer my question, human."

Esdeath clicked her tongue. "Now you've done it." And with that was eyes of hatred. "Just know you have no one to blame but yourself."

Just then, Acnologia was hit with one of her most deadly attacks. Suddenly encased in ice, the whole thing then shattered and exploded. There was only icy fog in the aftermath, and Esdeath turned her back at his remains.

"Never have I been so insulted by anyone, especially a delusional man." She began walking away. "Calling himself the king of dragons. If there's one thing he shared with that other man, it's the fact that both of them talked nonsense."

"**Oh? So what I said was nonsense, you say?" **

Esdeath came to a halt. That voice, she couldn't believe she was hearing it. Even worse, there was a strange amount of power behind it, like a beast that had the tongue of a man. But there shouldn't be something like that, right?

As much as she tried to deny it, there was a creeping feeling coming from behind. It was coming from the very place Acnologia once stood. Each millisecond that passed, she could feel a strange emotion she hadn't been familiar to in years.

Was this fear? And what's was worse, is that a shadow directly on top of her?

"**Consider yourself quite unlucky, I haven't thought of returning to this form in quite some time." **

When she heard that, she fought that thought and looked back. To her surprise, a giant beast stood before her, its power seemingly intoxicating as it looked down at her with red eyes.

"**Behold, human! A power that stands beyond the grasp of humanity! The devourer of magic, and bringer of the apocalypse! The Arcane Dragon, Acnologia!" **

'_What kind of Teigu does he wield?!' _

Her shock changed to be a smirk. "So am I to assume this is your Trump Card? I must admit the power to turn into a giant dragon is past impressive. I've been hoping for a real challenge, but not like this."

"**Trump Card?" **Acnologia suddenly laughed. **"Baka! You dare categorize magic to an inferior thing such as Teigu?!"**

Esdeath leapt out of the way in time. When Acnologia brought his hand down on her, she expected nothing much from it. But the shockwave from just that impact on the ground made a shockwave similar to her previous attack.

Esdeath skidded before coming to a stop. She looked back at Acnologia and saw the dragon's mouth open at her direction.

"**Don't get ahead of yourself. I only assumed this form because I wish to end this a bit quicker. But it doesn't mean I won't take my time to toy with you."**

With that, he unleashed massive blue flames from his mouth. Esdeath made a pillar of ice underneath her that launched her in the air. Acnologia's attack destroyed her pillar, and decimated every single thing within his flames paths. There was now a huge trench with black scorches.

Esdeath made her own move. She pushed her arms apart, thus creating an army of huge ice spikes in the air. Each one were made to surround Acnologia from above, but none made a move until she pushed her arms forward.

It was going to be an instant bombardment. With this attack, no army could stand a chance against one of her most deadly attacks. However, Acnologia had one surprise that instantly knocked that grin off her face.

He unleashed an ordinary dragon's roar. No fire; just a roar of a beast. Esdeath's attacks shattered in a second, with the ground shaking as far as the borders of the Northern Tribes. Princess Delilah could hear it from her position while fleeing. The same was for Liver and Esdeath's army, and the citizens of the place that were stunned by it.

Acnologia's roar also sent her flying back a few blocks away. In that moment, she witnessed concrete and steel-made buildings being levelled in seconds, before doing a flip and skidding her feet on the ground. She had lost her general's hat, not that it mattered now.

The roar ended in that second, but the battle wasn't over. When she looked a few meters above, Acnologia was flying straight at her, with his wings spread out as its mouth was gaping open.

She gritted her teeth in anger. She was still enjoying the thrill, but not when it seemed like she was losing. As such, she responded by pushing her arms up and close to each other in the air, and sent huge pillars of ice straight at the Dragon King.

Those pillars were able to match his size. However, there did nothing to halt his charge. Esdeath was taken back when he went right through them, the ice breaking apart on impact, before being hit by his tail.

Blood spat out of her mouth. The sharp edge of Acnologia's tail would've cut her in half if not for the ice she created at that side to save herself. Still, that didn't stop her from tumbling uncontrollably on the ground afterwards.

"**Have I shattered your bravado, human?" **

His question was followed by him landing some meters away from her. When he did, the ground momentarily shook, before he proceeded to casually walk towards her.

"**You kind of remind me of a man who was lucky to escape me. Unlike you, he possessed Crush Magic, not that it would save you now. I made sure he left without an arm." **

Esdeath huffed and stood up with mild haste. With her right arm broken, she clutched it with her other arm, and smirked. Throughout the 'battle', she had taken in quite the damage from Acnologia in the form of cuts on her skin and clothes. Blood was crinkling down her face as she faced Acnologia.

"**Smiling at your own death. Have you lost your mind now?" **

Esdeath made no effort to answer that. Acnologia simply stood on his two legs and opened his palm. Black energy began to form in it, before he stretched his arm to throw it at her.

"**I guess I won't get anything from you. Now die!" **

"Mehapadma!"

In an instant, everything stood still. It wasn't just a statement; it became a reality. Time suddenly froze as everyone and everything were encased in a field of purple color. Acnologia was also affected, as his body was unmoved despite his recent attempt to kill her.

Esdeath sighed in relief. Her Trump Card had activated just in time. There was no doubt in her that Acnologia was a powerful foe. But with her trump card, she was going to remain the strongest.

"Only one man has pushed me to my limit. And now you have done it too." She said while staring at his frozen body. "You have my respect, Acnologia. Thank you for giving me this thrill. I'll be sure to remember you."

Then she made the final blow. She sent her arm forward, which caused a big spike of ice to pierce right through the Dragon King's chest. The thing came out the other end, marking the end of the battle.

Or at least that's what she hoped.

"**So this is your Trump Card."**

Esdeath was stunned. Her eyes and mouth widened at what she saw next. He should've been dead at that moment. So why was she able to hear him?

Esdeath's pride was nearly shattered. When his dragon body turned to pitch black smoke, she just stared in utter bafflement as it reformed into his human form. A smug was on his face, and when he sat on the ice spike, he was unaffected by her final attack and trump card's effect.

"I was wondering what it would be." He said, referring to her trump card. "However, you're not the first to try such a feat. But I am hungry. Thanks for the meal."

"W-What?"

Acnologia made no attempt to clarify that. He simply opened his mouth and sucked in the trump card. Esdeath watched in shock as her own attack was consumed by him. Time resumed like nothing happened, except with the obvious fact that finally reached Esdeath.

"I…lost." She muttered.

Acnologia gulped the last of her trump card, and looked down on her. "So, you finally understand your place."

"Yes…" Esdeath admitted in defeat. She fell on her knees and bowed her head to him.

There wasn't a single fighting spirit in her anymore. After such a fight, she realized her own weakness and willingly accepted the consequence.

Acnologia probably thought the same thing. He slide down the ice spike and went over to Esdeath to finish her off. He opened his palm and made it face her. Just like the last two that had seen it, there'll meet their end in a swift death.

"I guess this was my end. I found the thrill I was looking for in a battle. It was truly…hard-fought."

"I guess so." Acnologia was just about to erase her.

"You…lied." Esdeath replied. "You really were holding back, weren't you? I never stood a chance. It…wasn't even a battle. You…defeated me. You truly are strong, Acnologia."

Acnologia just stared at her with a stern face. He should just erase her and get going. That's not to say that he was in a rush. Getting to the Capital wouldn't be a problem, and it's not like her army can pose a threat to him.

So why did he then put his hand down and walk past her?

"Huh?"

Esdeath turned to see Acnologia's retreating figure. Confused with her messy hair, she could only stare at him with her lips stammering.

"W-Where are you going?!"

Acnologia took a few steps before he came to a halt. Snow began to descend on the earth once again. When he turned his head at her, he only gave her a few words.

"Get your life in order." He said to her.

The snow picked up, before covering the view of him entirely. Esdeath could only stare with a face of uncertainty. After being beaten for the first time, she couldn't comprehend the message behind his words – if there was even one, to be honest.

'_Acnologia...You're someone that I have no doubt can destroy the empire. So…' _She paused as she began to lose consciousness. _'the next time we meet, please…let me serve under you.'_

And just like that, she fell to the snowy ground.

* * *

"So even the empire's strongest stood no chance against him."

Irene wasn't surprised. Having seen the whole battle from her enchanted Lacrima, she knew the outcome of the battle would be complete defeat. One thing she hadn't expected was Acnologia sparing the woman. Why he did such a thing was something like that was a question that intrigued her. But it'll have to wait.

She was outside a café, specifically seated under a table umbrella. After watching the battle, she hid her Lacrima inside her cape, which possessed an enchanted dimensional space of its. She couldn't allow a certain someone to see it.

"Funny meeting you here."

Her 'guest' had arrived. God Serena sat across her with a smug look on his face. He wasted no time to cross his legs and lay back on the chair.

"Tell me, how did Alvarez's strongest woman die?"

Irene was unaffected by that remark. She was beyond his level of incompetence. Instead, she just calmly smiled at him, and answered. "Perhaps, it was by her own volition. It certainly wasn't in the shameful fashion by Ishgar's strongest mage."

God Serena scowled and stubbornly looked away. His pride may've been shattered for a moment there. But there was one question in mind.

"So, are the others here as well?"

"The Spriggan 12? As far as I know, we're the only members here."

"What about Zeref?" He turned to her, and smirked a bit. "Knowing him, he crushed Ishgar, and now it's a part of the empire. I mean, that's obviously why Acnologia is here."

"I doubt it." Irene replied, surprising him. She remained calm. "Throughout my encounter with Acnologia, I've come to the conclusion that the both of them might've been defeated by Fairy Tail. The circumstances behind it something I'm yet to discover."

"What?!" Out of anger and shock, God Serena stood up and slammed the table. "There's no way we lost to that weak guild!"

Irene paused and looked around them. God Serena's outburst had caught the attention of others.

"We're talking here. Don't mind us." Her eyes flashed at them. In an instant, the people forgot about them and continued their business.

God Serena sat back on his chair. Stubbornly, he growled and said. "I still don't believe we lost to Fairy Tail. We should find a way to get back to our world. It's certainly better than being in this stupid place."

"I disagree." Irene casually told him. "I think I might like it here, once I've had it cleaned up. We're not even sure if this is another world or the future."

"What? You're suggesting time travel?"

"It's possible." She showed no doubt about it. "Time Magic exist in our world. But due to it being in the gray area of forbidden, it isn't a popular form of magic. Besides, there's also the possibility that God Ankhseram put us here. So we might end up attracting his wrath if we attempt returning back to our world."

"Well that sucks. I guess we're stuck here, which reminds me…" Just then, a serious look crossed his face. "What was with that magic? I've never seen it before."

"You mean that night? I guess it's new to you. You died before I used it for the first time. Neinhart had your corpse fight in your absence."

"What the hell?!" God Serena wasn't pleased. He clutched his fist and added. "If I see that guy again, I'll teach him a thing or two about messing with my own corpse."

"Calm yourself, Serena. Zeref needed you in battle since you died early in the war."

"Whatever." He grumbled. "So why did you call me here? You obviously took care of Acnologia on your own."

"Temporarily, which is why I need your help. With Zeref and the Alvarez Empire absent, we're no longer the Spriggan 12."

She paused for a moment to ask him one certain question. God Serena was one of the few members that barely listened to Zeref's commands. And as annoying as he could be, she needed him on her side if she hoped to reform the empire and defeat Acnologia.

"What do you think about an alliance?" She asked.

* * *

**AAAAAAAAAND DONE!**

Wow, that was a lot to write on. This whole chapter went past the 9,000 words mark, which is over a thousand of the usual mark I make for chapters. So how about you show your appreciation by letting me know in the reviews?

I feel they might be some of you who feel that Acnologia should've killed Esdeath at that moment. This is especially for those of you who actually read the first part of the chapter. I do have a reason for Acnologia sparing her. You'll just have to wait until he discloses it one day.

One of the few things I got was your reactions to Scarlett. Of course, her name is based on Erza's last name and hair. Irene was supposed to mention that she'll bring her back when she has defeated Acnologia. But I couldn't find a proper space for her to say this. So just keep in mind that she does intend to bring Scarlett back. She's just going to take her time to get rid of the biggest threat, which brings me to one other thing...

Maybe Acnologia and Irene will get to 'bury the hatchet'. I'm not so sure about that yet. Acnologia still has a long way to go, and Irene is determined to avenge her old friend. But let's see how things go. If I'm going to make them forgive each other, I'm certainly not going to make it happen somewhat sudden. Character development is very important.

Now about the pairing. I still stand that it'll be a love triangle. But I'm going to put that in the votes for you guys. Who do you want to be in a love triangle?

Sheele

Sayo

Leone

Najenda

Akame

You can only pick two girls. Since I have a poll up for a different story, please just vote in the reviews. This is for everyone. When the next chapter is up, I'll announce the winner.

I'm considering bringing Igneel to this fanfiction. He won't play any big role, but I think it'll be fun to see how Acnologia and Igneel will respond to seeing each other. But what do you think? Should Igneel be brought in to the story?

Lastly, about my Youtube Channel, I have a third video uploaded, with a trailer that should be ready in a few days. Since the previous chapter had an ineffective link (Thank you, . -.-), I'm just going to give you these things to search up on Youtube.

"Story of the Forgotten: Three Girls Sent to Slavery"

"A Critic on Wisecrack's One Punch Man: What Went Wrong?"

"Video Games Causes Criminal Violence (NOT!)"

These are the titles of the current videos I have. Once you search them, you'll undoubtedly find my channel. Please, check them out and subscribe. I also have a Twitter account, which you can check out. It's " FactsandF". I post updates to any of my fanfiction, so if you want an early notice to future updates, follow me there.

I think that's where I'll end this. Thank you for reading this fanfiction. If you want to support me financially, you can check out my . Just google "Fiction and Facts ". We have exclusive rewards for viewers and readers alike.

Review, favorite and follow. Your support gives me the strength to go on! Bye!


	7. The Mages' Legacy

Hello there, my lovely readers! Hope you're having a wonderful day/night. Welcome back to this fanfiction.

Thank you for supporting this fanfiction and the Youtube Channel. Please, I ask that you also visit my page. I know it's a bit too much to ask, but donating would be much appreciated. We donate as low as $5, which comes with some nice benefits both for the channel and this fanfiction.

Thank you, and let's on with the chapter. The poll's result will be revealed at the end.

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN ANY TV SHOW. CAN ANYONE TELL ME WHY WE DO THIS DISCLAIMERS? LIKE SERIOUSLY, WHY?**

**Chapter 7: The Mages' Legacy**

The Norther Tribes were visited by blizzards, some stronger than the other. Princess Delilah was somewhat used to the climate, though she did find it difficult to walk through it. After Acnologia told her to leave, she wasted no time to head to one place that she knew. The Royal Palace.

A place which she called home has changed. The blizzard did well to hide the corpses of royal guards that once defended the huge structure. Imperial soldiers were nowhere to be seen, which was good. Princess Delilah had her reason for going there.

She pushed the huge doors that was the palace's entrance. She huffed and puffed, until she was able to create a small space that she could squeeze through. That's when she saw a familiar face, and a huge smile formed on her face.

Once a proud hero and prince, Numa Seika was lying on the cold tiled floor, naked like the day Esdeath defeated him. The chain around his neck hooked him to the wall. Meanwhile, his position mirrored close to a sleeping dog; that is until he heard a familiar voice.

"Big brother, you're alive!"

Numa 'whined' before waking up. When he turned to his head to the direction of the voice, he saw his little sister running towards him with tears of happiness. All this time, she was scared that she was the last of her family. But not anymore. Her brother was alive, and he looked…confused.

Princess Delilah sensed something very different about him. Besides the fact that he was naked, his behavior didn't show a single change to happiness or relief. He just tilted his head at her with a lost expression on his face.

"It's okay…" She attempted to reach out to him. Cupping his cheeks, she added. "That evil woman is being dealt with right now as we speak. You…You don't have to be scared anymore. We can be a family again.

She assumed that was enough to get him back. But, to her shock, he turned away from her, removing his face from her grasp, with a look of doubt and regret. Princess Delilah found that perplexing, and wanted to push on to reach her big brother.

However, nemesis caught up to her…

"You won't be able to reach him, child."

Her body shuddered. Without much of a thought, she looked back and saw a familiar face with a group of Imperial soldiers.

Having returned to the subjugation force, Liver had conducted Esdeath's orders for an evacuation. That didn't mean he pulled away their forces from the Northern Tribes's capital, though. He just ensured that no Imperial soldier were close to the likely combat with Esdeath and the mysterious man.

Back when he confronted Acnologia, parts of his clothes were burnt, and he had scorched marks on his face. His new fresh clothes hid some of it, but the mark on the right side cheek of his face remained obvious.

"He's nothing but Esdeath-sama's dog." He added to what he said earlier. "You should've taken the chance you had and run away. But because you ignored common sense, this is the end of the line for you."

Two Imperial soldiers went past him and grabbed Delilah's arms.

"Let go of me!" Delilah cried out.

She fought back as best as she could. She struggled and tried moving against the wishes of her captors. However, it was in vain, as their strength kept distancing her from her brother.

"Big brother, save me! Save me!" Again, she tried reaching out to her brother, but this time with fear written on her face.

Numa made no attempt to look back at her. His sadden face just stared at the floor, in a fashion that just emphasized his own defeat. Everything was lost, and he believed it that way. Like the others, his little sister will be killed. Nothing will change what he has become.

Liver was pleased as he saw the princess drawn closer to him. This time, he'll make certain to execute her on the spot. Esdeath didn't care to meet the princess in person. Besides, stalling the inevitable was never a good thing. So, for her sake, he'll follow her direction and execute the girl.

But then, he halted when he heard dying screams behind him. A familiar aura came crashing towards him, and with an expression mixed with shock and fear, he turned back to see Acnologia marching towards him. The twenty soldiers he brought with him were lying on the floor, obviously dead by their blood gradually becoming a pool.

"Y-You're alive?"

Those were the only words he could say before a slit appeared at his throat. On reflex, he held his bleeding throat while trying in vain to not choke on his own blood. Acnologia walked past him without a single glance. He no longer needed Liver to live. A slit also appeared at the throats of the scared soldiers holding Delilah. They collapsed to the ground, grasping their bleeding throat while choking at their own blood.

Liver gritted his teeth in anger. He won't let such a fate befall him so soon without carrying out the last of Esdeath's wishes. As such, he raised his hand which had his ring-type Teigu to manipulate his own blood. When he tried doping in his fight with Acnologia, the liquid he injected was also laced with poison.

If he was going to die, he was going to take the princess with him.

He could already feel his control of his blood while struggling to stay standing. Acnologia's back was facing him, so it wasn't like he could be stopped. However, he was startled when the dragon king's face partially turned to him.

"Don't even bother. You're already dead."

Liver's mind barely had a second to comprehend that question before his internal organs exploded. He spat out an unbelievable amount of blood, before falling to the ground dead. The last of the Three Beast Warriors was dead.

Princess Delilah turned away in disgust. Truth be told, she was pleased that the last of Esdeath's monsters was dead. They had done so much wrong to her family, especially the biggest of them that had personally executed them. But she was a seven years old girl, thus seeing this much of bloodshed was a stomach-twister.

She was only taken out of her thoughts when Acnologia walked past. He had something to do with Numa Seika.

"So you're the girl's older brother…" He said with a monotone voice.

Numa made the effort to look at Acnologia. The Dragon King grabbed the top of his head and smashed it against the floor. Princess Delilah was shock, and ran to her brother's age.

"Big brother! Stay away from him!" She shouted.

Acnologia spared her a glance and backhanded her. She hit the floor hard and groaned. Confused and scared, she looked over to Acnologia, who still had his hand on her brother's head.

"Why…? I thought…you were a good guy." She said.

"Good?" He pressed the former hero's face on the floor. "Tell me, girl, was he a good brother just recent?"

"He…" She wanted to defend him, but found no word to add.

"He watched you being taken away without batting an eye. A man who would allow his own little sister to die doesn't deserve to live."

That statement was enough to scare her even more. One thought ran through her head. She wasted no time to plead of her brother's behalf.

"D-Don't kill him!" She cried out as she sat up.

Acnologia simply huffed. When he stretched his hand out, a sword flew into his hand, before he then struck the blade into the floor. He did so close to Numa's face, with the reflection of the man's face staring directly on it.

Acnologia's grip loosened, and he stood up. He still looked down at the man, though.

"I've killed many, but at least some of the scums whose lives I ended had a bit of pride in them. If you have any of that left in you, then you'll know what you have to do."

"This is crazy! You're crazy!" Delilah yelled at the man who saved her. "My big brother will never commit suicide! He's the crowned prince and hero of the Northern Tribes!"

"I don't care about his former status. Either he kills himself or…I kill him myself." Those words deeply startled the princess. "Those are his only options." He added and began to walk away. "He has thirty seconds. He should make them count for what they're worth."

Princess Delilah couldn't believe the words she heard. Here was a man whom she thought was her hero, now threatening to kill her brother. The whole scene was bizarre, to the point that she refused to stand by and let it happen.

"No…" Obviously, this was something the princess couldn't accept. An idea came, and she turned to her brother. "Let's run away, big brother! If we're fast enough, we can –"

"No…"

Delilah was startled. For the first time in a long time, she heard his voice, but due to the lack of water, his voice sounded dry. He reached out to the hilt of the sword and held it.

"I…cannot live on like this." His hand gripped it. With a small form of conviction, he used the sword to sit up. "You…should go. Meet him before he leaves. If he truly saved you, then he's more of a man…than I ever was."

"I won't leave you!" Delilah shouted, and attempted to pull his hand from the hilt. "We can still be a family! You're just not thinking straight! Just let go of the –"

"Delilah Cameria Seika, stop!"

The princess froze. Her brother was staring at her with tearful eyes of rage. He panted, almost like just saying those words took much of his strength, and stared at the floor. "Be honest with yourself. I'm not the hero that I made up myself to be. Even though I trained my body, I…failed to train my mind, and because of that, I let the fame and fortune get to myself until now…I'm nothing but a shell of myself."

"Big brother…" Delilah was speechless.

"Now…go." He added with a choking voice. "Y-You have to live…so that one day the royal bloodline can remain preserve and rise again. You're our only hope, Delilah. I…No, we're counting on you."

He felt her hands released from his own grip on the sword. Of course, he couldn't ignore her tears, as those were the only things that echoed through the palace. They didn't even made eye contact when she turned away and walked towards the door. Due to her own grief, she ignored the steps she made on the pool of blood on the floor.

"For what it's what…I'm sorry." Numa apologized.

"I know." Delilah stopped by the door. She couldn't bring herself to look at him. "Goodbye, Onii-chan. I'll always love you."

Numa smiled pitifully. "Thank you."

Those would be his last words. She knew that, and yet made no attempt to stop the inevitable. So before the deed was done, she walked into the blizzard, her memories of her brother being their last encounter.

Prince Numa Seiko would be remembered in history as the brave hero who took his own life in defiance to his captors.

* * *

Delilah let out a soft moan. Whatever she was sleeping on top of had a sense of comfort. It moved up and down, despite having a rough surface that was hard to explain. Her mind noticed this before her eyes departed and a yawn escaped her mouth. It was only when she sat up and stretched that she noticed what her 'bed' was.

The princess stuttered. Whatever remains of sleep quickly escaped her as fear slowly grew in her. What she might've presumed as a cozy bed was actually the belly of a black scaled monster with two closed wings and a long tail.

Princess Delilah looked around her as her mind tried to register her surroundings. She was in a cave, and she could see the entrance just from her position. Maybe if she got off the sleeping giant, she could escape alive.

"**So, you're awake!" **

It spoke as she got to see its head rise and its mouth open. Her eyes stared at the saliva-covered sharp teeth. No surprise, she screamed and quickly scurried from the top of the beast. In her haste, she fell to her front, but that didn't matter. She quickly got back on her feet, forgetting her crown on the floor, and ran for the entrance.

The entrance was the only thing on her mind, when suddenly the dragon's tail slammed against the ground in front of her. Releasing a shriek, she turned back and saw the dragon rise from the ground with blue eyes.

"Please, don't eat me." She pleaded and fell on her knees.

Acnologia huffed and transformed back to his human form. The princess watched the process with bafflement. The transformation lasted for a few seconds before he returned as the man she once knew. He picked up her crown and handed it over to her.

"Good morning to you too." He said with a toothy smile.

His sharp teeth were in full display. It didn't go well for him, as the princess screamed again.

**LINE BREAK**

Dreams; said to be a passage to a vision or the other world, dreams were considered a mystery to mankind. No one knew why man dreamt, nor was there any solid theory to explain it. But, as Tatsumi found himself in a white room, he saw a familiar face standing just a few meters in front of him.

"Hey, Tatsumi. Long time no see."

"I-Ieyasu, is that you?" Tatsumi was baffled.

"I see you've made some pretty good friends." Ieyasu added with a smirk. "Sayo's with you, which is good. It sure was a surprise when I couldn't see her. Take good care of her. If there's a heaven, I'll be watching out for you guys until we can meet again."

"Ieyasu, what are you talking about?" The brown-haired teen was confused. He began walking over to Ieyasu, and slowly reached his hand to him.

"Goodbye, my friend. Don't do anything I would do."

"Ieyasu!"

He was too late. His physical body jolted to a sitting position, with his arm stretched to the nothing but the air. He panted heavily, before a frown formed on his face.

'_Was that…just a dream?' _He wondered.

His thoughts were overtaken when he heard mumbling. Turning to his right, he saw Sheele sleeping on a chair with her head on the edge of his bed. She was sleep talking about training him.

'_Great. A wild airhead appears.' _He thought.

* * *

**Th**irty minutes later, Tatsumi was about to head out of the hideout. Sheele was waiting for him so they could start their training at a spot she chose. The brown-haired teen had no idea for what she had in store for him, which was something he found unsettling to say the least.

"Tatsumi, you're heading out?"

He recognized that voice, and turned back. It was Sayo, his childhood friend, who at that moment he remembered had actually been raised from the dead. The reason behind the thought was linked to his dream, specifically what Ieyasu had said.

"Good morning, Sayo. How are you feeling?"

"Morning. Yeah, I'm feeling fine." She answered.

A week had passed since Sayo told him about magic. The concept sounded impossible if not for the proof Sayo showed him. Not surprising, he was excited to actually learn some of it as well. The fact that Sayo held her own against a Teigu user (though barely) was still remarkable. He hoped to learn some from Acnologia, but the black dragon hasn't returned since. Sayo assured him that when they see him again, she'll ask the dragon to teach him too.

"So…you didn't have any strange dreams?" Tatsumi asked.

"No? Was I supposed to?"

Her friend shook his head. "No, not at all. I…just had a weird dream about Ieyasu."

"Oh?" Sayo's interest came. "What was it about?"

Tatsumi told her about it, which made her a bit at awe. It then brought a question to his mind, and he asked. "By the way, do you remember anything before you came back from the dead?"

"Now that you mention it…" She looked away thoughtful with her hand on her chin. "I don't remember much. I know I wasn't alive until Acnologia brought me back. Besides that, nothing comes to mind."

"I guess that's fine." Tatsumi replied and smiled a bit. "Maybe we can ask Ieyasu once we find a Teigu that brings people from the dead. Or better yet, Acnologia can teach me a form of magic that brings others from the dead."

"You're…You're not serious, are you?"

Tatsumi failed to notice the doubt in her voice. "I am." He answered with confidence. "But I have to go now. I'll tell you about it later."

With that, he ran off without a second thought. Sayo could only watch her friend's back as he left the body. She doubted the possibility of such a Teigu that could bring the dead. As for Acnologia, she was more than certain that he won't teach a magic that could bring the dead back to life. There was a reason he refused to revive Ieyasu, after all.

* * *

Sheele's training involved Tatsumi swimming in a pond while wearing armor. It was tough, but the teen was able to make it out, though he was exhausted right after.

"Well done swimming in that armor." She said with a bright smile. "This is the curriculum I came up with for assassin training. Since I don't have a job at the hideout, I can concentrate on training you."

"Why don't you have job?" Tatsumi asked.

That question made her to drop her smile. Nonetheless, she explained her mishaps in the hideout when it came to shores. Tatsumi couldn't help but snicker in his mind at the part about Mine being watched along with some clothes.

"By the way, Sheele. When I met everyone, you didn't seem too happy about me joining." Tatsumi brought up.

Sheele was startled. "Ehhh? I get the feeling there was a reason, but I've forgotten."

"Is…that so?" The brown-haired was almost lost for words.

"Allow me to apologize and –" She cut herself short when her glasses fell off, "Oh no, my glasses."

Tatsumi was breathtakingly surprised by her appearance. She looked really cute without her glasses. He was quick to recover though, and ask another question as she picked her glasses.

"Do you mind if I ask why you're in this line ofwork, Sheele?"

"It's a long story, but…" She paused and put on her glasses. "You can say it was partly because of **him**."

* * *

"Hey, Sheele! Finally, I got to see you again!"

A bright young man with blonde hair waved her from behind. Sheele was walking with a basket in her hands when she turned back.

"You are…" Sheele muttered while trying to remember his name. She came out with nothing.

"Yuri! Yuri Dreyar!" The blonde man answered, and sighed. "If it weren't that you're cute, I would've lectured you about being an airhead."

"I'm sorry." Sheele bowed her head.

"Nah, it's fine." Yuri assured her and lifted her chin with his hand. "We're friends, aren't we? I've been looking for you since that incident."

Sheele knew the incident he was referring to. Prior to it, Sheele hadn't been the best person to work with. Due to her clumsy nature, she couldn't be associated with anyone, be it at finding a job or society-wise.

But then came the two people in her life. Martha and Yuri.

The both of them were the only ones that wanted to associate with her. As such, they became quick friends, until one night when it changed. Martha's ex-boyfriend came to the house and was strangling her. Yuri would've helped if not that he was thrown against the wall when he tried to intervene. Before he could get up, Sheele had killed the man.

Martha was traumatized from the experience. Her friendship with Sheele ended that very night, and they hadn't talked since then.

"Why?" Sheele was asking him. She stepped back and stared at him with a stern face. "You're not afraid of me for what I did?"

"Well…" Yuri muttered and placed his hands on his hips. "That look on your face was a new side of you that I hadn't seen before. I can't blame Martha for shutting you out like that."

"Oh…" A frown formed on her face.

"But, you did it because you wanted to protect her, right?" Sheele didn't need to respond before he gave her a thumbs up and smirked with a toothy face. "That's more than okay in my book. Friends that are willing to protect others no matter what are more than friends. They're family to me."

"Family…? I already have my parents, so I'll be going now."

With that, she turned her back at him. Yuri wouldn't have it, so he reached out and grabbed her hand. Sheele was speechless when he pulled her to an ally without a word. Of course, she perceived this as danger, and slammed him to the wall. Her basket fell to the floor, but that didn't matter. She swung a kitchen knife she had for his neck.

Yuri counteracted by grabbing the blade of the knife. To Sheele's shock, he grabbed it without a flinch.

"That was a close one. I almost forgot just how tough you are." Yuri said calmly.

He released his grip, to which Sheele responded by pulling back. She looked at his palm and saw no trace of blood on it. In fact, there wasn't even a cut at it.

"You're not bleeding." She muttered.

"Hmph, you say that like it's nothing. But I guess I should expect nothing less from you, Sheele" Yuri replied with a small smug. "But that's not the only thing I'm capable of. Watch."

He stretched his hand to the fallen contents on the ground. Sheele was startled when she saw lightning bolts come out of his fingers and carry the fruits and other ingredients on the floor. The basket was also lifted off the floor, where it was taken to her chest, and the contents put inside.

Sheele subconsciously grabbed the basket. The bolts disappeared immediately, and Yuri's smile turned to a smug.

"So, what do you think? Pretty cool, right?" He asked.

"Uh, yes, but…" The purple-haired girl was lost for words. "How are you able to do that?"

"Lightning magic." He answered.

"Magic? So, it's real?" Sheele asked and smiled a bit.

Yuri was surprised by her acceptance. "Huh, usually people would think I'm crazy. Like this one pink-haired girl I got to know a few years ago."

"I…don't sense that you're lying. But why tell me?"

"Because I can trust you." Yuri answer came with a serious tone. "And I thought it would be enough to get back your trust. What happened between you and Martha can't be reversed. I tried, but…she pushed me away when I refused to go along with her. Anyone that abandons a good friend is no friend of mine."

"Are you sure of that?" Sheele asked with doubt. "I'm not good with chores. Even now, I'm just –"

"Yes, I'm sure." Yuri startled her when he grabbed her wrist. "Now stop doubting yourself. It doesn't look good on you."

Sheele could only nod. This was the first of many times they would make eye contact with one another.

* * *

"Mine told me about him." Tatsumi said to Sheele. _'That was when we had a mission to kill the Prime Minister's cousin. So that would mean that he already met Mine before he met Sheele in the Capital.' _

"Hmm, I think she did. I can't remember, sadly." Sheele replied with a thoughtful look.

'_This airhead!' _Tatsumi shouted in his mind.

Sheele continued. "My parents were happy to know that I still had him as a friend. They knew Martha and Yuri whenever they came to visit. I can see why they were relieved." She then added "Even though the incident was ruled out as an act of self-defense, I was seen by some people as a killer, not that I minded. But…the fact Yuri was there for me made me happy."

Tatsumi saw a smile creep on her face. A thought came to mind.

"Did you…have feelings for him?"

Sheele's smile dropped, and a serious look on her face appeared.

* * *

It was the tenth night since their reunion. After eating at Sheele's home, the two of them were heading off on an errand. Yuri had his hands behind his head with a big toothy grin on his face.

"I can never get enough of your mom's cooking." He said.

"Is that so?" Sheele chuckled, and smiled with determination. "Then I shall try harder to learn how to cook."

Yuri became nervous at that idea. "Uh, let's not get ahead of ourselves just yet." He then muttered. "I'm still mentally recovering from yesterday's lunch."

"What?"

"Nothing." Yuri quickly said. "I was just wondering about your dad. He wants us to get some booze at such a time at night."

"It's eight at night. I don't think it's that late." Sheele replied. "But I have a feeling he has been making me spend more time with you in this past days. But it's probably nothing."

"Right…" Yuri doubted that.

They were drawing close to Sheele's home, when suddenly Yuri came to a halt. Sheele's hand gripped the doorknob and turned it. But as she opened it, an unknown mechanism went into work, and before it erupted into flames, Yuri responded to shield her.

He couldn't get her distance away. But he could shield her with his body and create enough lightning to negate the flames. Fortunately, his plan worked, and when the flames came down, he turned down his lightning, just in time for them to see the remains of Sheele's family house.

"Mum…dad…?"

Her parents were inside, which could only mean one thing. Sheele could only stare with a mix of shock and fear at the dancing flames in her hands. Yuri released his grasp on her when he noticed strange people coming out of hidden spots. They weren't the neighbors.

"How are they still alive?" asked one of them.

"Yeah, that explosion should've killed them both." Added another man.

"But at least we got her parents, at last. Now we can just kill them too."

That last statement were enough to snap Sheele out of her mood. Any emotion on her face went away in that instant. Yuri could sense, thus he placed his hand on her shoulder.

"This is my fault. Let me handle this."

"Huh?" That brought some questions.

Yuri didn't seem keen to answer them. He just removed his hand from her shoulders and removed his jacket. Now his sleeveless shirt underneath was in the open.

"I thought I had you guys dealt with when you tried attacking her family nine days ago. I even took down your stupid boss." Now his statement recently made sense. "But you guys don't know when to give up. That's why, I'll make sure you guys burn in hell for this."

"Ha! As if you can –"

That gang member was silenced when Yuri closed the distance between them and kneed him in the chin. Bolts of lightning were dancing across his body, and with it was a menacing look on his face.

Yuri followed that attack with a roundhouse kick. It sent that gang member straight into a bunch of carts. He was certainly dead by that impact.

Every man on ground were baffled by the attack. When Yuri attacked their hideout, he certainly held back against them. He made sure to get their boss and most of their top leaders arrested once he was done.

However, the circumstance were different. The lightning mage wasn't going to hold back.

"CHARGE!" Some of them cried out.

Yuri was threatened in the slightest. Even when they ganged up against him, he stood with a scowl on his face, and his lighting coursing through his body

First thing he did was to punch one guy in front of him in the face. He then followed that with elbow hit at one guy at his right, with a swift kick at another guy next to him. One gang member came with a sword, and let out a battle cry when he swung it. To his shock, however, Yuri dodged it and grabbed his neck.

The lightning mage proceeded to use that guy to do a spin and hit his comrades. He ended that attack when he threw him away, sending jolts of lightning coursing through him. Anybody that were hit by that guy were knocked away.

Three gang members saw that as a chance to jump him. With their own individual swords raised, they let out a battle and swung their weapons down.

"You'll pay for humiliating us!" cried one guy.

"Bastard!" cried out another in anger.

Their attacks hit nothing but the ground, however. Yuri was nowhere to be seen. This confused them until they noticed a shadow directly at the spot they stood. Hence, when they looked up, they saw the lightning mage, but that would be the last thing they would see.

With his finger pointed down at them, Yuri unleashed a powerful lightning bolt that incinerated them and create a shockwave that knocked their nearby comrades away.

"W-What the hell?!" shouted one gang member. Like his comrades, who were either getting up or still on the ground, he was staring frightening at the man who just dealt with over a dozen of their comrades.

"No one said he had some freakish power!"

"Fuck this! I'm getting out of here!"

"Me too!"

And so they began running away from both directions. Yuri's eyes turned to the guy by his left, and made his move. His body changed into a lightning bolt which then travelled through the backs of the fleeing men.

Each man was knocked down with blood shooting out of the straight hole Yuri made when he came out from their chest. No one was spared, including the men running through the other direction.

Yuri opened his palm and unleashed a devastating lightning beam. Those men were fried in seconds, and their scorched bodies fell to the ground.

"DAMN YOU!"

One gang member made a jump on Yuri. His sword connected with the lightning mage's head, but then shattered on impact. A feeling of fear coursed his face, even as the mage turned to face him with cold glaring eyes.

Next thing he knew, he was punched in the guy. Blood shot out of his mouth like a hose as he was sent flying a few meters away. In pain, he tried to get up while rapidly searching for his gun in his jacket. Meanwhile, Yuri approached him with an intimidating figure as lightning bolts continued to dance across his body.

"Ha! Now die!" The criminal cried out and shot at Yuri.

The bullet made no injury to the lightning mage's body. In fact, he saw with horror as it bounced off the mage's chest. Fear caught a hold of him again before he proceeded to shoot rapidly at him. However, those bullets were in vain, as they too bounced off Yuri's body.

To his dismay, he ran out of bullet. Yuri was now directly in front of him, when he decided to make a last ditch effort.

"M-Mercy! Please, don't kill me!"

Yuri made no attempt to listen. He simply grabbed his neck and lifted him off the ground. The grip on the man's neck was then tightened, though he tried to use his hands to free himself from the mage's grip. It was futile, however.

"Are you their boss?" He asked.

"Y-Yes!" The criminal boss admitted with strain at his vocal cord.

"Are they any of you left?"

"No…T-This was th-the last of us! We hoped to recover our reputation, but -"

Yuri caught him off by releasing him. He heard enough from the criminal boss. His action was a surprise, as the man rubbed his neck after hitting the ground. Yuri had one message him though, and wasted no time to send it across.

"Send this message to every criminal gang you know! Tell them that I'll kill anyone that dares to touch a hand on her head! Do you understand that?!"

"Y-Yes!"

"Now get out of my sight!"

The criminal boss did as told and scurried back to his feet. He let out a scared shriek before leaving the scene. After such an experience, he'll make certain to never meet such a man again.

Unknown to Yuri, one gang member was alive and close by. Having survived one of Yuri's attack, the man held back his groan as he picked up his sword and got back on his feet. Yuri's attention was somewhere else, thus the gang member charged at him without haste.

Yuri barely noticed the guy. Even when he did, the man was dealt with, not by him, but by the purple-haired girl. She stabbed him through the head with a glass shard, and watched him hit the floor dead.

The blonde mage was slightly disturbed by the image he saw. Despite killing just one person, Sheele seemed unfazed by the murder she committed. It was just like that night which he remembered very well. But this was different now. On her face, a sly smile grew, especially as she looked over at him and opened her mouth.

"I think I just found what I'm good at." She said.

Yuri gulped down some saliva. He has seen a few worst things in his past lives. So rather than turning away, he picked up his jacket and tore a piece of cloth from it. He then walked over to the girl and grabbed her wrist.

Sheele snapped out of the moment, and let the glass shard fall. Her palm was bleeding, but fortunately Yuri's cloth was used to stop it. He then placed his hand at her other shoulder and led her away.

"Come on, let's go get some rest." He said.

Sheele complied with him and walked alongside him. They ignored the corpses on the floor without sparing a single glance. This night had turned into a memory that they certainly won't forget.

* * *

"Before dawn we left the Capital in order to escape the Imperial guards." Present day Sheele explained. "But I never forgot the feelings I had that night. It made me realize that I could help to get rid of society's trash."

"And the guy?" Tatsumi asked.

Sheele looked away.

* * *

"Are you sure you don't want to come with?" Flashback Sheele asked. There was sadness on her face and in her voice as she stared at the blonde mage in front of her. "The Revolutionary Army wants you to join them. You can make a huge difference with your lightning mage. So…" She paused and reached her hand to him. "Stay with me, just like back then."

"No…" Yuri refused.

It wasn't that he didn't want to remain by her side. He just had his reasons for shooting down the request.

"As much as I would like to go along, I…I just can't." He admitted with a frown. "I'm done with taking part in wars. I've seen friends and comrades die in battles before. The fact that Mavis isn't even here doesn't give me the confidence I need."

"Mavis?"

"A very good friend." Yuri smiled.

"Oh. Then…should I not go?"

Yuri noticed the doubt in her voice. "I can't make the decision for you. But I have a feeling that whatever decision you'll make is the right one."

"How…How do you know that?"

"A gut feeling."

Sheele paused to contemplate his words. It made her come to her own conclusion, though it didn't stop the tears from forming at her eyes.

"Then I guess…this is goodbye."

Before the purple-haired girl knew it, the blonde mage placed his jacket on her shoulders. Baffled and yet emotionally touched, she looked at his face with blushing cheeks and opened her mouth, only to come out speechless.

"Hold this for me by the meantime." Yuri told her. "I'll get it back from you when we meet again."

"I see…" Sheele pulled it closer to herself. "I'll take good care of it."

Yuri then did something unexpected. He placed his forehead against her own and smiled with his eyes closed. Sheele understood his reason for it and did the same. The both of them maintained a silent moment, reminiscing everything they had gone through together. It was an emotionally touching moment that probably felt longer. But it had to come to an end.

"Please, stay out of trouble." Sheele said with a pleading voice.

Yuri could only smile slyly. "I can't make any promises. But let's see how things go. Goodbye, Sheele."

"Goodbye, Yuri Dreyar."

* * *

"That was the last time I saw and spoke to him." Sheele said, concluding her story. "Few years has passed since then. Fortunately, I haven't ruined his jacket, so I guess I'm doing something right."

'_She looks so happy to say that.' _Tatsumi thought while staring sympathetically at her. _'That man really had an impact on both Main and Sheele. He sounds like a really cool guy. I wonder where he could be.' _

"So where is he now?" Tatsumi asked.

"He's gone."

That surprised Tatsumi, who raised an eyebrow at the unfazed young woman. "When you mean by 'gone', you mean that he's…"

"Dead." Again, Sheele said with an unfazed look. "It might be weird, and perhaps it's because of that screw loose in my head, but…I don't feel that sad about it. I guess…it's because I'm happy that I had a friend like him. To be honest, I might've had feelings for him back then, but not now."

"Oh…" The brown-haired teen uttered. "So how did he die?"

"Esdeath."

For once, Tatsumi actually noticed a shift in the woman's tone. He even saw her ball her fists as she glared at the trees.

"He died while trying to protect the boss and her troops from that woman…He was doing what he praised me for that night. That is why, for his sake, I'll find something that I'm useful at, no matter what."

He couldn't lie, nor deny it. Coming from Sheele, there was no doubt a lot of conviction behind her voice. Even though she showed no sadness towards the man's death, she seemed convinced to keep the man's legacy in her life alive. Tatsumi couldn't help but admire that about Sheele. It made him have some respect for her.

* * *

Mia never thought her life would be this way. From being an mercenary, to a maid in the Imperial Palace, life seem to have something waiting for her. True, she was only alive today because Acnologia spared her life, but that was a discussion she wasn't going to share.

Ever since the black dragon saved her from death by Lubbock, she made her way into the Imperial Palace. Background checks weren't a problem; she was skilled enough to fabricate her origins. Soon, she was given a maid uniform and supervised on her role.

One thing maids shared with one another were to avoid the Prime Minister if possible. He had a 'thing' for 'taking' any maid that served him. Mia shuddered at the thought of being his woman for a night.

Acnologia ordered her to infiltrate the Imperial Palace and get some information. He also gave her a crystal ball bigger than her hand called 'Lacrima', and told her to communicate with him through it. She wasn't sure how to use it. But she figured she'll figure it out once she had something to report about.

It would seem the day she might have to do it came.

The Imperial Palace was somewhat in a frenzy. Mia was informed that an important imperial family member was coming back. After that, she was instructed to line up along with the other maids and butlers next to a beautiful long carpet at the main entrance of the palace.

Security was also intense around the palace. Due to the suddenness of this unknown important person, no important official other than the Emperor and Prime Minister were able to visit.

Nonetheless, it took a few hours to get everything set. A long red carpet was laid on the floor, with beautiful flower pestles adorning it. Then the doors were opened by two imperial guards, with the main butler announcing the arrival of the mysterious imperial relative.

"Twelve years has passed since the imperial princess walked in these walls. Now, we welcome you back, the younger sister of the former emperor, and the aunt of the present emperor. **Princess Irene Belserion**."

Irene's first step inside the Imperial Palace was marked with the imperial guards, butlers and maids bowing in front of her. Mia felt a strange shudder course through her body when the woman walked past her.

"Aunty Irene." Emperor Makoto bowed his head at her. Dressed fantastically for the occasion, he held the imperial staff and added. "Welcome back."

"It's good to be back, my little nephew." Irene smiled warmly at him. She changed her focus to the Prime Minister. "And I see you've only gotten fatter since the last time we saw each other, Honest."

The Prime Minister chuckled. "What can I say? His Majesty has been very good to me."

Irene could tell he was lying. The fake smile on his face may fool the emperor, but not her. Nonetheless, she played it along, and said. "Then I guess I'll just have to put you through some diet. But for now, I wish to rest."

"Of course, right this way." The Emperor said, and led her away from the scene.

Mia's head shifted so she could get a good view about the woman's back. There was a small sickening feeling coursing through her body, and she didn't like it. No doubt, this was something that she had to report on.

* * *

"A sickening feeling, you say?" Acnologia asked while staring at the lacrima in his hand.

Mia's face was on the ball, and she answered. "Yes. But…" She paused nervously. "Maybe this wasn't something to report about. I just thought that I should inform you since this is the first time since we last spoke."

Acnologia huffed, which let fog to come out of his nostrils. "No, you did the right thing to report to me. It would seem the Magic Detector I placed on you is working."

"Magic Detector?"

"At the time I didn't think you will meet with a mage, but it would seem I made the right choice." He explained, deciding not to explain the detector. "That woman isn't a relative to the Imperial Palace. She's a high enchantress that's able manipulate the physical and mental state of reality."

"So you're saying she's fooled everyone?"

"That's what it would seem." He answered. "The detector acts as a partial barrier, so you were able to escape her influence. But keep your distance from her while observing."

"I will do my best."

"I'm sure you will. Keep me updated if you discover anything."

"Yes, Master."

With that, the lacrima went silence. Acnologia put his own down and glanced at the sleeping princess not far from him. His mind went back to what happened this morning.

* * *

After calming her down, Acnologia explained everything that happened between the time she went into the blizzard and now. The Dragon King had taken her away to the outskirts of the Northern Tribes, specifically to a cave so she can rest. He then slightly turned on the temperature of his body to keep her warm until she woke up.

"I'm sorry…" Princess Delilah said while procrastinating in front of him. With her forehead touching the floor, she added. "I was so confused that –"

"It's fine, child. Your reaction was to be expected." Acnologia assured her while seated on a small boulder. "Stand up. I don't like what you're doing."

She did as she was told and stood up. A moment's silence went by with none of them looking away from each other. Acnologia noticed the curious looks in her eyes, and sighed. She was likely cautious to ask the thing on her mind without permission.

"Speak what's on your mind. We're stuck here until the blizzard ends."

Delilah gulped a bit of saliva. "Are you…a Danger Beast?"

Acnologia huffed and smirked. He found the question amusing from a little girl.

"No, I'm not." He answered. "I'm human, or at least I was."

"So you're a dragon?"

Acnologia opened his mouth to answer. This was an easy question for him for as long as he could remember. But a thought came to him, and his smile dropped.

"To be honest, I'm actually both. A human and a dragon. I'm…a dragon slayer."

"Dragon Slayer? What's that?"

"That's someone that has been given the magic power to slay a dragon."

"Oh, so you've killed dragons before?" Now her curiosity and awe were on a rise.

Acnologia couldn't help but find this amusing. "Yes, I've killed my fair share of dragons, to the point that I made them almost extinct."

"Woooooow."

"I guess so." He smiled.

Acnologia went on to explain the concept of dragon slayer magic. He made no mention of his past, nor hinted at it. Princess Delilah did seem interested in his explanation until he came to an end. After that, there was another silence before the princess asked an unexpected question.

"Can I learn it?"

Acnologia raised an eyebrow. That's when she explained. "I want to learn Dragon Slayer magic. I need to be strong for my family and the people. So please, can you teach me?"

"No."

"What?! Why?!"

Acnologia understood her shock, but stood firm. "Did you not understand what I said about the consequences? Learning Dragon Slayer Magic comes with its side effects. One of them is the transformation into a dragon. You'll certainly live longer, but you'll be a monster to everyone you know and care about."

"Oh…" She bowed her head in sadness.

"Besides…I've ruined one woman's life already. I can't send you to that fate as well."

"But is there not a cure to it?!" Delilah asked and stood up. She placed her hand on her chest. "If there's even a chance that I can be strong like you, let me take it! Please, I want to get stronger and protect my people! No one…" Her face fell to depression again. "should experience the pain I went through."

Acnologia stared at her, and contemplated his options. True, he could teach her any other magic like ice magic, but he had a feeling the princess would refuse to learn it. He couldn't blame her. She witnessed a small fracture of his power in battle, and wanted to be like that one day. He also had sympathy for her since he has been in her position one time in his life.

"Fine…I shall teach you." Acnologia announced, much to her surprise.

Delilah's mood changed to a bright smile as she clutched her fists and stared at him. "Really?! You'll teach me Dragon Slayer magic?!"

"Yes…" He answered and stood up. "Now that I've thought about it, there is a way to ensure you don't turn into a dragon. I seem to recall the Fire Dragon King explaining it, so perhaps I might replicate what he did."

"Thank you!" Delilah jumped in excitement and hugged him by his legs.

She caught him off guard, but didn't seem to notice. Feeling this kind of human contact was strange to the dragon king.

Did he hate it? Not really. In fact, he found it very comforting before he patted her on the head. A warm smile formed across his face. It has indeed been too long since he had felt such physical contact.

* * *

Now at the present, Acnologia kept looking at her sleeping body. The princess had fallen asleep after their conversation. She was an orphan child, so it was to expect that she would act this way. The dragon king lay his cape on her to keep her warm. One thing he'll have to teach her after she wakes up is immunity to the cold.

"Huh…I wonder if things would've been like this if I had saved that little girl back in my world years ago." Acnologia muttered.

He remembered the experience very well. Hundreds of years ago, he met a little girl with light brown hair in a cave, and failed to save her when a bunch of dragons attacked her. Angered by her death and at his own failure, he killed those dragons and swore that he'll kill every dragon in existence.

"It was for her sake that I…" He stopped himself, and frowned. "Hmm, I wonder…if there was a way that I could've saved her…Fortunately, I won't make that mistake again." His eyes landed on the sleeping princess.

"Delilah Seika, the Ice Dragon Slayer." He huffed and smirked. "I think that has a nice ring to it."

A thought crossed his mind, which led him to walk to the entrance of the cave and look at the heavy snow falling.

"That being said, I'll have to go back to the Capital at some point. I have a feeling the woman wasn't lying when she said she'll find a way to use this world's resources to kill me." With that said, he couldn't help but grin. "No rush, Irene. I like a good challenge. So take your time. The final battle approaches."

The giant eye watching him through the heavy skies closed its eye lids and disappeared. Irene's lips formed to a mischievous grin, and with it her eyes flashed red.

"Indeed, it is, Acnologia."

* * *

**End of chapter here. **

**And if you're wondering, then yes, Acnologia was thinking about Sonya in that one scene. **

**Before I go ahead, I should answer three questions that came in. **

**No, Acnologia will not be paired with Esdeath. I would've added it to the poll by now if I thought it was worth it. **

**Sayo won't learn Dragon Slayer Magic. This means that she won't be a dragon. But she'll be a powerful mage in the coming chapters.**

**No one apart from Sayo and Delilah will learn magic from Acnologia. I can't say the same for Ur and Irene, though. *hint***

**I don't know about giving Seryu some redemption at some point. I've learnt from my other fanfiction that some readers can be turned off if a character they hate is given some redemption. But what do you guys think? Should Seryu be redeemed or die?**

**Now to the polls. This is the result:**

Sayo- 7

Leone-8

Najenda-2

Sheele-8

Akame-5

**So it would seem that Leone and Sheele will be a part of the love triangle with Acnologia. Expect to see more of that in the coming chapters. **

**Before I end this, I have a bit of an announcement. I'm going to do a Q&A on my YouTube channel when we hit 100 subs. I know it's pretty small, but it's a big milestone for someone like me. I want to do it as a big thanks to my viewers, which is why I'm asking you guys to contribute to it. **

**The channel's name is "Facts and Fiction Studios". Please visit it, share the videos and subscribe to the channel. Any question you have will be answered on the special video when the channel hits 100 subs. So please help me reach that goal. **

**The Page is "Facts and Fiction". Please, go and check out our tier lists if you're interested in supporting the channel and this fanfiction financially. **

**Thank you for reading this chapter. I would like to know your thoughts on this, so let me know in the reviews. Favorite and Follow so you can be updated when a chapter is published. See you guys in the next chapter. Bye. **


	8. Important Author Note

**Hi.**

**This isn't a new chapter, and this isn't an announcement about cancelling this fanfiction. **

**I still enjoy writing this fanfiction even if some people might not agree with my methods. I'm talking about qwertypous who basically said I killed this fanfiction because I brought in Irene, God Serena, etc. So I've decided to address this to anyone who thinks the same.**

**When I read that review, I actually felt bad for what I've done. I began to wonder if I should just delete this fanfiction and start over with just Acnologia. **

**I even considered doing that. I then imagined what an Acnologia solo fanfiction would be, and to be honest I prefer having the fanfiction the way it is now. **

**I won't bore you with the details on the solo scenario. If you're not happy with added characters then go make your own fanfiction about it. I'm not going to regret what I've done. And to … I have to say "I'm so glad you dropped my fanfiction". I've read great fanfiction crossovers with more than one main character from a different show. There's even a popular One Punch Man and Akame ga kill fanfiction out there. **

**I made this fanfiction because I pitied characters like Irene and Acnologia. Both characters had so much potential. Maybe an Acnologia solo fanfiction would be interesting, but I don't see myself doing that anymore. I want to explore how characters like the two of them (and more) can grow. **

**And now I wish to bring up Seryu. **

**In the previous chapter, I mentioned if Seryu should be given a redemption story. I avoided doing one with Aria because I got some backlash for doing that with a Ben 10 story. It turned out I made the right choice. But, not surprising, most people want Seryu dead. **

**But then reviewer ClownLivesMatter caught my attention and I have to agree with him/her. **

**Why is Esdeath favored more than Seryu? **

**Personally, I think fans hate Seryu because she killed Sheele, she believes the empire is good despite their atrocities, and…because she's crazy. **

**But can you separate that from Esdeath? **

**Esdeath believes in fighting for the strongest (the empire). She's willing to kill anyone that gets in her way, and she's psychotic when she needs to be. Some anime viewers don't know this, but she almost killed Najenda (which was shown in every detail in the manga). **

**As ClownLivesMatter pointed out, no one spoke against the fact that Acnologia didn't kill Esdeath. I'm not complaining. I like Esdeath because of her developed character. Unlike Seryu, we got to know both her good and bad sides. But then again Seryu was the same way. We just didn't have our main character as her love interest. **

**So I've come to a decision. As you read this, I've made a poll on Seryu, and I want you to go and vote in it. If you don't know how to, go to the top of my profile in the computer version of the website. **

**The poll is this: "What do you want Seryu's fate to be?"**

**And this are the options: **

**A. Leave her character the way it is in the anime/manga. **

**B. She should defect from the empire and try to redeem herself. **

**C. Let her see the errors in the empire, but remain ignorant. **

**D. Become Acnologia's servant. **

**Any of these options can lead to a potential death, or she can end up living the rest of her life in peace (Except Option A). I'll reveal her true fate once the poll is closed. **

**So before you go off and vote Option A because she'll likely be killed in that scenario, I want you to take the time and think over the options. Ask yourself why you want her to die. Is it actually legit realistically?**

**Keep in mind that Seryu is a victim of the empire. She's brainwashed to believe the empire is good and she has killed people for the sake of "justice". **

**I leave the final judgement to you, my readers. **

**Lastly, I have decided to move forward and see about commissioning a poster for this fanfiction. I intend to make a fan-comic alongside my other fanfiction "The Esper of UA". If you want to contribute to this fanfiction's own comic, then please visit **www-com/fictionandfacts?alert=2 (Replace the "-" with ".")

**We have awesome rewards for anyone that contributes. Please, check them out. **

**Thank you for reading this commentary. The next chapter will be coming. **


	9. The Feelings To Move On

Hello there, my lovely readers! Hope you're having a wonderful day/night. Welcome back to this fanfiction.

Happy 2020! Sorry it took me long to update this fanfiction!

Good news, the poll has been closed and the results are in. If you don't want to see them at the bio (that is if I haven't deleted it yet), then check it at the end of this chapter.

I also want to mention that a poster for this fanfic will have to wait. I don't know yet since I have a small business to run now. But that will hopefully be before March. Hope you don't mind.

Lastly, I am leaving the author note from before for future readers.

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN ANY TV SHOW. CAN ANYONE TELL ME WHY WE DO THIS DISCLAIMERS? LIKE SERIOUSLY, WHY?**

Now on to the chapter!

**Chapter 8: The Feelings To Move On**

Several days passed since Sheele's training with Tatsumi. It was nightfall, and the group of assassins were assembled in front of their boss, Najenda, in the meeting room. She seated forward on her usual seat, and had an important announcement.

"The Teigu we took from Zank. I want you to try using it." said Najenda.

She presented the eye-type Teigu on her mechanical hand to him.

"Really?!" Tatsumi exclaimed excitedly. His eyes were glued on it until he remembered the incident behind it and looked over to Sayo, who was standing next to him. "But…wasn't it Sayo who faced him? Shouldn't be the one to have it?"

Sayo waved her hand with an assured smile. "Nah, you can have it. I don't want that thing. It gives me the creeps."

"Okay."

There was more to her rejection, though. With her training so far, she was growing stronger as a mage. She could see herself surpassing some of Night Raid's members without ever using a Teigu. Luckily, Acnologia had taught her more than the basics before his disappearance.

"Congrats, Tatsumi." Bulat said with his usual smile. "It's always one Teigu per person."

"That's because it takes considerable mental and physical strength to control them." Lubbock added.

The Teigu wasn't in the book of Teigu in Night Raid possession, so Najenda was curious to see its abilities for herself. Sayo remembered one of the Teigu's abilities when she battled Zanks.

"Hey, one of its abilities was mind-reading. Try that out." She suggested.

Tatsumi nodded and paused for moment. He then widened his eyes and pointed at her.

"You…think this thing gives you the creeps." He said.

"Yeah, that's right!" Sayo brightened with a smile.

"Don't encourage him, Sayo. He hasn't even activated it." Leone told her.

Sayo apologized sheepishly. Meanwhile, Mine huffed and had her arms crossed over her chest.

"I don't want him to read my mind." She said. "If it has five different sight abilities, try one of the other ones."

'_Darn…All she does is bitch.' _Tatsumi thought.

He decided to try out her suggestion. He sat on the floor with his legs crossed and closed his eyes in order to concentrate. With that, he was able to activate one of the Teigu's abilities, which showed when the 'eye' opened.

"Well, do you see anything?" Mine asked.

Tatsumi was taken aback. He was able to see Mine, Sheele, Akame and Sayo in just their underwear. Sheele wore a normal purple underwear, Akame wore almost the same but with the bra not having a strap over the shoulders, and Mine wore a pink cloth with normal underwear for obvious reasons.

Sayo approached him and leaned forward. She was concerned, which only made her a central victim for Tatsumi when he saw the crack between her breasts. She wore a normal white underwear.

"You alright, Tatsumi?" She asked.

Sayo looked really sexy to him, which caused him to blush seriously in bliss and shame. She was like a sister to him, though he senior her by a few months. But he couldn't help feeling happy upon seeing the four girls in their respective underwear.

'_This Teigu is amazing!' _He thought.

Just then, Tatsumi felt sudden fatigue upon him. Lubbock instantly noticed while Akame rushed to remove it. The Teigu's ability shutdown before Akame removed the thing from him forehead.

He rubbed his head and began to recover.

"What happened? I suddenly felt tired." He said.

"It's the compatibility." Najenda explained. "It seems this Teigu isn't suited to you."

Mine came forward. "You were thinking about how uncool it looked or something, weren't you? The user's first impression of the Teigu is important, you know?"

Najenda decided right away that the Teigu will be taken to the Revolutionary Army HQ to be analyzed and added to the fighting force. Akame then explained that collecting Teigu was their sub-missions, adding that even the weakest Teigu is invaluable. Tatsumi guessed by this that the more they get, the stronger the army becomes.

Najenda confirmed it and handed him a book which contained the every Teigu they recorded. He opened the thing and was greeted with well detailed analysis of some Teigu – even Sheele's Teigu was there.

"Wow…so many…" Tatsumi awed. "And this is just a small portion of them, right?"

"The ones in this book are the only Teigu we know about." She answered.

"Speaking of which Teigu, which one is the strongest?"

Najenda gritted her teeth, to which the strain showed on her face. She was reminded of a certain Ice-type Teigu user, and the loss she suffered because of the woman.

"Their use and compatibility change…but if I had to say…the ice manipulation is what I think." Najenda revealed with a solemn face. "Luckily for use, the user has the Northern Tribes and Acnologia to deal with."

"What?! Acnologia is at the Northern Tribes?!" Sayo shouted in shock.

Tatsumi was the same way, with other members of Night Raid either containing it or showing it respectively.

"Yes. Word about it came only a day ago, but it would seem only us know the person's true identity." Najenda revealed. "A man with rough and long blue hair, a weird face-painting, and the power to unleash blue fire. Definitely, it's him."

"Wow! That's pretty cool!" Tatsumi stated. He knew a bit about Esdeath thanks to Sheele. "Knowing him, he's probably taken her on and killed her."

"I wouldn't be so sure, Tatsumi." Najenda rebuked. "That woman is exceptionally strong and skilled. Eventually, she'll conquer the Northern Tribes, but with Acnologia there, maybe the conquest will take longer than before."

Mine added. "Besides, knowing that creep, he probably attacked because they were in his way."

"That's not true!" Sayo yelled. "Acnologia likes to help!"

"Sure, girly. But then why doesn't he help us out? The one time he did was because YOU were in danger. I doubt he would help the rest of us out."

Leone had some doubt about that. She remembered when Acnologia visited the lover of the man who had been murdered by Ogre on false charges. The Dragon King had compassion, even though he didn't show it at times.

"_Human problems should be left to humans." _He had said. But she found that conflicting. _'You say that, and yet you helped out more than one' _He said.

Tatsumi didn't seem to mind about the speculation surrounding Acnologia. A thought had dawned on him and filled him with confidence.

"The stronger the enemy, the better! We're collecting more and more Teigu after all!"

"You're suddenly cheerful huh?" Leone said, looking at him. "Why is that all of a sudden?"

"Well, the world is filled with Teigu that have unknown abilities, right?" Tatsumi presented before everyone. "The reason I'm so lively is this! Having seen just these abilities…maybe…just maybe…THERE MAY BE A TEIGU THAT HAS THE ABILITY TO BRING THE DEAD BACK TO LIFE!"

The entire room's atmosphere. The assassins' face became darker, with the same for Sayo. But Tatsumi seemed optimistic, or in fact even convinced by his idea.

"If there is, I may be able to bring Ieyasu back! That's why I'm going to do all I can to recover as many as I –"

"You can't!"

Bulat had stopped him with a small snarl on his face. With one leg on a pillar, and with his arms crossed, he glared at him.

"A Teigu that can resurrect the dead doesn't exist. In this world, you only get one life" He said.

"How…" Tatsumi snapped. "How can you know that!? You can't! Not until we've found them, right?!"

"The current emperor is a good example." Akame said. "If such a Teigu existed, the first emperor would still rule."

"It was because he knew that he would someday have to die, that he created the Teigu in the first place, right?"

"But…" Tatsumi's composure began to collapse. But he persevered and clutched his fist. "Then I'll just wait until Acnologia comes back! He can teach me how to bring Ieyasu back! He did it with Sayo! You can't deny that! She's literally right here! Acnologia can use ma –"

Before he could finish, he was slapped at the right cheek. The force of it threw him off his feet. Shocked and dumbfounded, he stared at the one who did it, and saw tears rolling down Sayo's face.

"Idiot…Are you willing to throw away your own happiness?!" She shouted.

Tatsumi opened his mouth to say, but she ran out of the room before a word could be muttered. Everyone watched her go, with none making any move to stop her. Akame remained solemn with her statement, before approaching him.

"Don't hang your hopes on that, Tatsumi." She said. "If you do, an enemy will use that weakness of mind against you, and you…will be killed."

"And don't count on Acnologia bringing you back." Leone added with a straight face.

* * *

Sayo was seated some kilometers away from the hideout. She crossed her legs and stared at the star-filled skies. Tatsumi arrived at the scene and stared at her in silence. The night was cold, but even the bliss of the wind did nothing to faze her.

"Acnologia told me the story of a man. His name was Zeref Dragneel…" Sayo began to say. "He was powerful, and the most dangerous man alive. He knew various magic spells, and survived any attempt on his life. But…do you know how he arrived to this?"

Sayo paused and looked over her shoulder. Tatsumi remained silent; he had a feeling she would answer.

"He never gave up on his ambition…to bring a love one back from the dead."

Tatsumi felt dread from that revelation. Sayo had told him some days ago about magic and Acnologia, according to what she knew. But she hadn't mentioned this part before.

"And so…as he grew up, he created magical weapons and spells just to get his brother back. Apparently, the poor boy died when he was just little. Some dragons had killed him and their parents. This man…was devastated. He never learnt to move on…"

She stopped without going on. Tatsumi was lost for words, and found himself scared and yet perplexed to know more about the man.

"What…became of him?" He asked.

"He became a cursed man…doomed to roam the earth…unable to die or socialize with others ever again…Ironic, isn't it? He wanted to bring his brother back to life, but as a result…he could not die to join him."

Tatsumi understood, and felt saddened for the man. He could only picture what such a man had gone through. He was too young to die, and yet he knew he will die one day – either before the revolution happened or after.

But Sayo wasn't done. She had more to tell him.

"The Curse of Contradiction forced him into a life of seclusion. Anywhere he went, anytime he had, he was a death god to everyone and everything…Animals…humans…plants…They all died because of his presence. As such he wanted to die, but sadly death would never greet him…But he didn't give up."

"He didn't?"

Sayo became quiet for a moment. She answered afterwards.

"The Books of Zeref were his attempts to die…But when they failed, they became monsters to that world, and brought only death and destruction to innocent lives…In time he became known as the Black Wizard, Zeref."

She became quiet again. Both of them remained unmoved, with just the blissful sound of the wind making a sound. Tatsumi understood her lesson, but there was just one thing he didn't understand.

"But…Acnologia brought you back."

"He did that for his own reasons." Sayo replied. "He's not even sure if he has been cursed or not. Besides…I'm sure he was willing to take the risk. But he wasn't an idiot. Why else do you think he didn't touch on Ieyasu?"

Tatsumi understood. He couldn't handle the grief anymore. And so he fell to his knees as the weight of his emotions crashed on him.

"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" He cried with tears falling down his face. "I knew…deep down that I can't bring him back, but…I just didn't give up…I miss him so much!"

Sayo approached him and hugged him to her chest. Tatsumi was taken aback, before embracing her back. Words didn't need to be exchanged between them to understand their feelings. And so they cried together, finally getting the closure they needed.

"It'll be okay…I miss him too." Sayo whispered. "But…you're all I have left. So…please stay alive…for me."

"I…I will." Tatsumi nearly choked.

Sheele watched the scene from the hideout's entrance. She had a small soft smile on her face as she watched the pair.

'_Good luck, Tatsumi…Sayo.' _She thought.

* * *

The north was always cold, with the snow and changing wind pattern. Acnologia didn't mind any of that when he woke up in the morning. He has been staying with the little princess of the Northern Tribes for over a week.

The girl insisted on becoming a dragon slayer. Acnologia understood since he had been in her situation. It also helps that she was committed, while giving the dragon king the opportunity to try out something he wished he had known about four hundred years ago.

So far her training was coming nicely. Despite being small, she was a quick-learner, but only at certain areas. She wasn't able to use the roar of an ice dragon, and yet she picked up the agility and speed of a dragon slayer almost easily.

Delilah's people were greater fighters. She would've learnt some moves too in a few years if the empire hadn't taken over.

'_Perhaps her people evolved due to the cold climate. Added with the Danger Beasts here, that would explain their state as a warrior-based people.' _Acnologia thought._' _

Speaking of Danger Beast, Acnologia was dragging their breakfast through the snow. It was a fifteen foot tall mountain goat with huge horns. The Danger Beast was dead, but judging from his brief battle with it, he knew the Danger Beast was a creature no human could easily kill without some heavy hunting skills.

Acnologia was at his thoughts again, when he felt something rush towards him. He removed his hand from the dead creature's horn and held it at the left side of his head. A small fist made contact with it, before the owner landed a few feet away with a huff.

"Do you ever let their guard down?"

Delilah stood battle ready with her fists up and a smirk on her face. She had converted her dress to be a pair of pants and a shirt that exposed her midriff. Her crown was gone, while her black her was tied into a small ponytail.

"If I made it easy for you, then what's the point of training you?"

"You've got a point."

Just then, she began running around him, to the point that the average eye would mistake her for a blur. She made a few jump around him to confuse him. Meanwhile, Acnologia stood still, unfazed by what she was doing.

At last, she saw her opening. She jumped from the dead Danger Beast and cried out loud as she swung her leg. Acnologia bent forward however, which caused her to miss. She planted her hands on the snowy ground and front flip. She then followed that with a spin and jumped straight for Acnologia's face.

The Dragon King easily dodged her fist. He moved his head aside, which caused her to swing a kick for him. Again, he dodged it and watched her land on the ground again.

"Don't let their infuriation get to you. Rely on your feelings." Acnologia instructed.

"I am using my feelings!" Delilah yelled.

She balled her fist and jumped at him again. "ICE DRAGON: IRON FIST!"

She made contact with Acnologia's face and grinned. But then she gasped when she saw it unmoved him and his face. He just stared at her with a straight face, and grabbed her leg. With a bit of force, he threw her against a tree, which knocked the air right out of her. Her body fell to the snow, where she groaned and weakly tried to stand up.

Acnologia approached her.

"How you feel is important, girl. Though you are committed, you are too focused on the battle aspect of magic to understand your feelings, and because of that, you have created a blockage to access dragon slayer magic."

"But…I am using my feelings. Didn't you see…" She paused and staggered to her feet. "I used magic."

"Wrong. You didn't use magic." Acnologia revealed, much to her shock. "You only lied to yourself that you used magic. Though you have tapped it to increase your speed and agility, it is nothing but a pebble to what awaits you."

"I…I see. I'm sorry." She bowed her head.

Acnologia turned his back at her. "This is fine. You're doing your best, but I can sense conflict in you. If you're going to learn Dragon Slayer magic, then you must clear that conflict in you."

"Conflict? But I don't feel conflict."

Acnologia went over to their breakfast and grabbed its horn. "There you go again, lying to yourself."

"Huh?"

"You have grown too attached to me." He paused and looked over to her. "Am I wrong?"

"N-No…"

He sighed. "That is the origin of your conflict. At one hand you wish to help your people, but at the other you wish to stay by my side. You know deep down that you can't have both, so unintentionally you hold back."

Delilah fell silent; she was lost for words. Acnologia had analyzed her very well.

He called out to her that he was heading back to the cave. He was going to cook their breakfast. Delilah only nodded and followed him from behind as he pulled their meal through the snow.

* * *

A few hours later, and Delilah was asleep on a bunch of clean white fur on the cave floor. A campfire was close to keep her warm as Acnologia put a blanket from another fur on her. He stared at her with an idle face before leaving the cave. He had some things on his mind.

'_I've taught her the basics, yet she holds herself back because she fears losing me. What should I do?' _He thought.

His mind continued to go over certain scenarios. He thought about helping the Northern Tribes to be rid of the empire. But he swept that thought away when he realized the consequences. The liberation should be by Delilah's doing. If he showed up, the people won't see any reason to reinstall the monarchy. Also, if he used his dragon form, he might end up becoming their god.

Acnologia had the powers of a god, but he never saw himself as one. Even when he became insane, he only thought of himself as incarnation of destruction.

Another idea was to continue teaching her longer than he planned. He wanted to head back to the Capital. Irene was planning something, and he wanted to at least know the state of things there. But being with Delilah might get rid of her conflict and help her access Dragon Slayer magic.

He shut that idea after a few thoughts. He wasn't anyone's babysitter. He wasn't a liberator either. So that left another option. He could use this moment to leave her behind. She will, obviously, be heartbroken when she wakes up and find him gone. And yet he felt that might push her to get stronger since she would need it to find him.

Acnologia found that idea nice. However, he came to a stop at a clearing. He was tired of the small army that has been following him for some time now.

"You know I can tell you're here." He said in the open. "But I'll admit. For humans numbering to twenty-three, you're stealth would fool anyone else."

He became silent, and waited for a response. It wasn't long before a tall and slender elderly man with a muscular build came out of the trees. Acnologia found himself surrounded by some of his soldiers, in white winter clothes and masks, who had their swords and guns drawn.

"I am General Abasi!" The man bellowed. "Hand over the girl you have in your custody!"

"Oh?" Acnologia smirked a bit. "And what if I don't comply?"

Abasi stretched his arm forward. Two cannon balls flew over him and hit Acnologia. A loud boom was heard, followed by a pitch black cloud. He put his arm down and huffed.

"I thought the sight of our numbers would make him surrender. But I have no time to waste with minor obstacles."

"I can say the same thing."

"Huh?" The general's eyes widened.

The men were baffled when the pitch black dust cleared. Acnologia stood, unfazed by the blast, with the only hit of the explosion being the scorched ground underneath his feet.

"Impossible! You should be dead!" Abasi shouted.

Acnologia dusted his shoulder. "You should've paid close attention. The fact my body wasn't blown to pieces should've gotten your attention. But now that you shot me…" He paused and glared at the man with a deadly glare. "I have no choice but to turn you into bloody corpse."

General Abasi shuddered, before gathering his thoughts. He clutched the spear in his arm and let out a battle cry.

"Firing formation! Line up!" He commanded.

Men with guns and shield came in front and squatted. They used their shield as defense and opened fire on Acnologia with their shotguns. The Dragon King could easily take the bullets without any damage, but he chose an alternative.

He jumped straight up to the air. That left some of the men vulnerable to the bullets coming their way. They hid behind their comrades' shields to avoid the bullets.

General Abasi deflected incoming bullets with his gauntlets. But once Acnologia came down, he punched the earth, which in turn tore the earth, knocking the men down in the process.

General Abasi stumbled and maintained his stance. He reacted when a punch came for his face, and grabbed it with his open hand. Acnologia grinned at his reaction; he hadn't even used a quarter of his full strength on that punch.

The Dragon King swung a kick at the man's stomach. General Abasi cried out in pain, and slammed against a tree behind him. The air in his lungs were knocked out of him. He barely had enough time to recover when Acnologia came for him again. Fortunately, two of his soldiers came from both sides and swung their blades for the dragon king's neck.

Acnologia was a bit amused. He grabbed the blades and pulled at them. Both men were startled before they were pulled along with their respective weapon. With that, he slammed his elbows against their masks, breaking them in an instant and knocking them away.

Acnologia saw his chance and swung his fist for the general's fist. Fortunately, the general got out of the way. The tree in the dragon king's way couldn't say the same. It was knocked down in an instant.

Abasi's soldiers recovered from Acnologia's previous attack. They were back on their feet, and began charging at him in their numbers, and with a unified loud voice.

Acnologia's amusement grew. He knew these people had no chance against him, but he couldn't help but hold back.

And so, he jump up and did a backflip towards them. He slammed his foot against one of the men's mask. As that soldier was knocked down, another man came behind him.

The soldier's spear came straight for the dragon's king's back. But the blade broke on impact, and shocked its owner. Acnologia made quick work of him and bending forward and sending his right bare foot against the man's chin.

He was soon attacked from all side.

Acnologia made quick work on them too. He punched one soldier to the ground and used his arms to defend against numerous blades that came from all side.

His speed was unmatched by the humans. He punched and kicked several of them and even grabbed one soldier and slammed him against some of his comrades before tossing him towards a group of men coming at his right.

The assault paused for a moment, but only on the ground. Acnologia sensed a group from above him and looked up. A bunch of soldiers were coming down at him with their spears and swords raised.

Before those men knew it, they were crying in pain as they were blown away. Acnologia's arms were stretched apart, as he had taken them down easily.

One soldier from the distance readied his shotgun. As Acnologia continued to dispose of his comrades, he was careful to get his aim. He didn't want to hit anyone besides the man with dark skin.

At last, he got him in his sight and pulled the trigger three times. Acnologia's ears caught the sound, before he turned and swiftly caught the bullets between his fingers. The gunman gasped, before getting hit by one of his own bullet.

The bullet didn't puncture his skin. They scrapped across his knee with such speed and accuracy that the gunman fell to the ground and cried out in pain.

Acnologia threw the remaining bullets at the soldiers. The bullets moved through the air, turning left and right and scrapping several soldiers in its way.

Other soldiers who escaped it, or bore with the pain, continued their charge towards Acnologia. The Dragon King missed two simultaneous blades from both sides by a quick jump up. He sent both of his legs apart and slammed his feet against their masks.

The impact tore them apart, and knocked the men to the ground. He followed that by landing back on the ground, where he bent his knee just as a soldier with a sword came for his neck.

In response, he did a sweep kick, which caught that soldier and six other men at the same spot. The Dragon King then straightened up and did a swing kick before any of them could hit the ground. Each soldier found himself slammed against the other before being knocked away a few feet away. Any soldier in their path was also knocked down.

"Enough!" cried the general.

The soldiers came to a halt, and turned their attention to their superior. He got into a stance, which had both his hands on the fancy spear, and his right leg forward and his other leg back. The soldiers understood what he had to do, and quickly pulled back from Acnologia. Some of them even dragged their fallen comrades out of the way.

Acnologia made no attempt to leave. He was curious about the general's plan.

"No doubt, you are a worthy adversary! But this is where you die!" General Abasi cried out.

He twirled the magnificent spear with both hands above his head. His action caused a powerful wind to course through the air, with so much power that his men were trying to stay still. Acnologia was unfazed, though his hair and cloak were being blown by the wind.

At last, the general made his move with a powerful battle cry. He rushed at the dragon king and thrust the spear straight forward. A large wind from the buildup slammed against Acnologia and tore through the air and ground's surface.

The general huffed and pulled back. Acnologia was nowhere to be seen due to the large dust cloud. But the soldiers suddenly cried out in joy, and praised their general.

"You did it, general!"

"That's the powerful technique of the hero! So cool!"

"It's over!"

The men continued showering the general with praises. Even the man himself was about to believe it. But then his eyes widened and he stuttered when he saw a silhouette from the smoke.

Acnologia pushed his right arm aside. A powerful wind struck every soldier and sent them flying. The general was affected as well and thrown to the ground on his back. The spear was knocked out of his hand, but he scurried to get it back.

But before he could grab it, Acnologia stepped on his hand and marched it. General Abasi cried out in pain, and looked up to see the sickening smug on the dragon king's face.

Just then, it hit him. The dread he ignored since he first saw Acnologia. He wasn't facing an ordinary man; he was facing a monster.

The very realization made him to stutter. Forget the pain, he was scared to his very bones, especially when Acnologia stretched his right hand to him with blue flames engulfing it.

"H-How…" The general muttered.

He hadn't felt this powerless since that one time. When the Northern Tribes army were unfortunate to meet Esdeath. At the time he tried to fight her, but that ended in a humiliating defeat. The ice general wasn't even fighting him seriously.

Numa Seika, brother of Princess Delilah Seika, and the prince/hero of the Northern Tribes ordered General Abasi to leave the battle field. The empire's subjugation army was breaking through their defenses due to Esdeath's ice powers.

So before the general and prince departed from each other, the latter handed him his trusted spear and smirked confidently at him.

"B-But, Your Highness, how will you beat her without this?" General Abasi asked.

"I'll find a way…I always do." Numa replied.

The general nodded. He believed the hero would defeat the ice queen herself. But then he got the dreaded news that the hero had fallen. Worse of all, the royal family had been executed, and the capital of the Northern Tribes had fallen.

He thought the situation was hopeless as time passed. There was no way he could liberate the Northern Tribes. However, his thoughts began to change for the better when his scouts reported that Princess Delilah was alive.

He saw the opportunity to redeem himself, and a sign that the Northern Tribes can live again. This was meant to be his chance to apologize to the prince/hero for abandoning him. Though it was by the young man's orders, he wished he could've stayed back and saved his life.

But it would seem he won't be able to do anything. Acnologia was about to execute him. He accepted his fate and closed his eyes.

"Acnologia! Acnologia, stop!" shouted a familiar girl's voice.

General Abasi recognized the voice, and snapped his eyes open. The Princess made her presence known as she strolled amongst the shocked soldiers. Most of them were understandably shocked to see her, especially as she showed no fear when she approached the very man that took them down easily.

General Abasi's conscious wouldn't allow it. He turned his body towards her and tried to warn her.

"Princess…Stay back…This man is –"

"What's going on? Why are you attacking him?" She asked Acnologia, ignoring him. "He's a good friend of my family."

Acnologia had sensed her coming for a while now. If he wanted, he could've killed the general sooner. But since she 'stopped' him, she stopped his blue flames and put his hand down.

"I was attacked, and defended myself." He answered.

Delilah looked around her. She saw the confused and beaten-up soldiers staring at her. She doubted Acnologia was doubting himself.

"Riiight…" She muttered. Then she faced him. "Anyway, that man is a good friend of my family. He's the grand general of the Northern Tribes. Please let him go."

"Princess! I –" General Abasi said, but stopped.

He shut up when Acnologia glanced at him. The Dragon King sighed and turned his back at him. He had no real intention to kill them from the start.

"Thank you." She bowed her head.

Acnologia looked over his shoulder, and watched her meet with the old general. He wasn't fond of the old man, but seeing them interact gave him an idea.

* * *

Irene stood in silence while she watched the scene around her. She was standing alongside the emperor in the throne room, at his left side. The Prime Minister, Honest, stood by his right side while a soldier informed them that two top generals had defected to the rebel army.

She wasn't surprised by the turnout. She has seen situations like these happen to numerous tyrannies in her long lifetime. But since she was posing as the emperor's aunty, she couldn't say anything like that.

The generals and ministers assembled there were growing concerned. The generals' departure meant that the rebels were growing stronger. But the emperor quickly put their worries at ease, boasting that they can deal with the rebels since they knew they were at the south.

"So, did I handle that well, Prime Minister?" The emperor asked, looking like an eager child waiting to be praised by a parent.

Irene hid her disgust at the scene. It showed just how much control the prime minister has over the child emperor.

'_I'll have to change that soon.' _She thought.

As the prime minister gave his approval while chewing on meat in his hands, she spoke up.

"Yes, you did quite well, Your Majesty." Irene said. "But I must warn you to not underestimate your foe. Proud men have fallen because they relied more on their military might than strategy."

"I…I see. Thanks, aunty." The emperor said.

He was trying to get used to the crown princess next to him. Honest discretely growled at the woman's response. He saw her as a direct threat to his control over the emperor. Fortunately, the child hadn't showed any favor to her just yet.

"You might just be right, Your Highness." Honest said while gnashing on the meat. "We have a closer problem than some far away rebel army. This is the problem we should be focusing on."

Irene knew who he was referring to. She was almost impressed that they had figured it out. But then again the victims were too close for even the fatso to ignore.

"You mean the actions of Night Raid?" She asked rhetorically. "They killed the leader of the Imperial Guard, and your own relative. Even the serial killer, Zank, was killed by them. Now they have his Teigu, and turned the courtyard into some strange phenomenon. No doubt this is very troubling."

Irene kept her composure, even though she was responsible for the very latter. She knew Zank hadn't been killed by Night Raid; Acnologia had made quick work of him. But even if he wasn't there, she was certain that Night Raid would've killed him eventually.

"I want them dealt with so badly!" Honest cried out. His fury was expressed as he stretched the meat with his hands and teeth. "I've been so obsessed with this, I've gained weight!"

"Well, what of them?" The Emperor asked. "Are there not professionals searching for their hideout?"

"They're dead." Irene answered. "I can say with certainty, while taking into account of the members we know about. Akame and Bulat were professional killers when they were with the empire. Must I go on?"

Honest's meat tore, before he chewed on it.

"That does not matter now. I have another plan." He announced.

"Oh?" Both Irene and the emperor looked at him.

"Yes. I've called in someone reliable to help me express my uncontrollable rage!" He revealed. "The one who recently succeeded in subjugating the Northern Tribes and executing the royal family! I have called for General Esdeath to return to the Capital!"

"But Grand General Budo is in command of the Capital Forces is he not?!" protested one minister.

"And there's the dark skin man who attacked the subjugation army following its success! Is that not another thing to be concerned with?!" asked another minister.

Honest was almost infuriated by the men. But he couldn't deny that they raised some good questions. He couldn't count on General Budo since him and the general were always at odds. As for the mysterious person, he wasn't too worried about him.

"We cannot ask the grand general to do something as low as hunting rebels. It would be an unforgiveable wound to his pride. Besides, I'm certain General Esdeath has exterminated that mysterious man already. This isn't the first time that someone like him has tried troubling her."

'_If only they knew…' _Irene thought. _'Acnologia is stronger than anyone in this room, including me. If an army of dragons and dragon slayers couldn't kill him, there's no hope for one woman with ice power from an inferior weapon known as a Teigu to kill him.' _

The current report the empire had received was the successful subjugation of the Northern Tribes. But the only problem mentioned was Acnologia, who had somehow started causing trouble. The empire was unaware that Esdeath had been defeated by the Dragon King.

"She will bring to task the hopelessly incompetent Imperial guard! This is no longer a question of life and death!" The Prime Minister proclaimed with a devilish snarl on his face. "These animals are getting stronger day by day! She will hunt them down and kill them all!"

* * *

General Abasi welcomed Acnologia and Princess Delilah to their camp, but the journey to the place took hours. Princess Delilah had to sit on Acnologia's shoulder for most of the walk. But once they made it there, the sun was just an hour away from setting, and they were welcomed to the grand tent.

The feast awaiting them was good. Despite being miles from the Northern Tribes capital, the small army was able to prepare wonderful food. Delilah ate to her heart's contempt while the dragon king sat back and watched.

"…so that's how you escaped." General Abasi said.

After the feast, the princess explained how everything happened. He looked towards Acnologia and stood up, before doing a bow. The guards in the tent followed his lead.

"On behalf of the Northern Tribes, I thank you for protecting the princess. And…my deepest apologizes for misunderstanding the situation. Our scouts had seen you fighting her and assumed the worst."

"We were fighting?" Delilah said.

"If you can call it that." Acnologia remarked.

"He was training me to become a dragon slayer, just like him."

General Abasi became puzzled by that. He sat back and said. "This is the first time I'm hearing this. Is that a special technique or a title given to you from your homeland?"

Acnologia couldn't be bothered to answer. The small scowl on his face showed it.

"Don't mind him, he's just like that." Delilah assured. "He's really a good guy when you get to know him."

"I see…So what is this about a 'Dragon Slayer'?"

"Well it's –"

Acnologia shut her up by putting his hand on her mouth.

"Do not mention a word about it to anyone. Humans cannot be trusted to not use it for war." He said.

"I don't understand. How can I not be trusted with it?" General Abasi asked with a suspicious glare.

Acnologia put his hand down. He then stood up.

"Dragon Slayers are gifted people who can use their gift for good or evil. I have chosen the girl to learn this ability, but not without three rules."

"Three rules?"

"What are they?" Delilah asked.

Acnologia raised one finger.

"One, you shall never teach this to anyone, even to your offspring." Then he raised the next finger. "Two, you shall never use this power to conquer any territories." And then he raised the third finger. "And three, you shall not write down the secrets to it. You will live with it and take with its secrets to your grave."

"That's not fair!" General Abasi protested. "If this can help the Northern Tribes, then why so much restrictions?!"

"Humans can't be trusted to use it for peace." Acnologia answered. "Look at the weapons known as Teigu. I'm sure whoever made them thought they would be used for peace. But now it has been used to take-over your lands and expand the empire."

"But we will need to retake our home."

"I have no problem with that. But if that goes beyond just that, or my rules are broken, just know that there is no place in this world that will hide you or your people from me. I will destroy everything and everyone without a trace. Even historians won't know you once existed."

The guards on post readied their weapons, but the general held his hand up to ease them. He knew in any battle that they didn't have a chance against him.

"Then…does that mean you will…kill me too?" Delilah asked with a scared face.

Acnologia sighed and looked away.

"You are a good child, but…you have many ways to go. I fear you might become the child emperor himself – someone that's manipulated by an adult to do his beading."

Acnologia looked over at the general, who understand what he meant. But that didn't mean he liked it. He rose from his seat while deeply offended.

"How dare you insinuate that I would go to such low?! The empire has done nothing but bring pain to my people! I will never wish my own enemies to go through the hell they brought upon us!"

"Then let's see."

"What?"

Acnologia grabbed his forehead. Before the general knew it, he saw memories of his past, from the time he was a baby, and all the way to his teenage years and adulthood, right before his eyes. The whole experience was baffling, and felt like hours.

Acnologia saw the whole memories for himself. But unlike the general, it lasted for a few seconds. He pulled his hand from his forehead and watched him fall to the ground with fatigue. The guards almost attacked, but the general raised his hand again to halt them.

"What was that?" He asked as he tried getting on. He was trying to recover his strength. "I saw my past…moments that I have even forgotten, and others that I remember."

"I looked through your past to see if you can be trusted." Acnologia answered. "You have blood on your hands, but besides that it would seem you are clean. Verily well, she can tell you about **it**."

"Really?" Delilah smiled.

"Yes, because now I can leave with some certainty."

Delilah's smile dropped. "W-What?"

"You heard me. I'm leaving." Acnologia stated without reluctance.

Delilah's mood worsen. She was confused and yet seemingly scared as she stared at him.

"I…I don't understand. Why? Is it because of my training? I promise I can get better, I just need more time." She pleaded.

"You will have more time."

He snapped his finger, which made a brown book with no name on it to appear in a poof of white smoke. General Abasi and his guards were shocked, but the dragon king didn't seem to care.

"Everything you'll need to learn is within this book." Acnologia explained and handed it to her. "Keep in mind that this is a one-of-a-kind manual for an upcoming dragon slayer. Only you can see what is contained in the book. But if someone pressures you to say what is within, the book will destroy itself. Take care of it, and make sure you are not used for the convenience of others."

"I…I see…" She muttered as she hugged the book to her chest. "So you were planning to leave me already."

Acnologia gave her a strict look before exiting the tent. Delilah ran out to him and came to a stop. She then called out his name, which caught his attention but not enough for him to turn back.

"Will I see you again?" She asked.

Everyone in the camp were watching. Acnologia sighed and turned sideways to her.

"Of course, child." He answered.

"But…I'm guessing that will be for long time." She said.

She wasn't wrong; Acnologia didn't plan to visit her after a short period. Time moved in a different way for him, but that wasn't relevant now. The Dragon King wasn't good with such emotional moments. He hadn't even felt saddened or conflicted about someone for centuries.

But he understood Delilah very well. She might sound clingy at times, but she meant well. She and Acnologia have lived together for so long. He has basically become a father and big brother figure to her.

Acnologia understood what it meant to lose everyone that he cared about. He couldn't blame her, even though he might not say it. But he made up his mind and marched over to her. He then squatted to her level and patted her head.

"You have come quite the long way, have you?" He said. "Despite everything, you've managed to remain focused on your goal. I'm sure your big brother and that captain would be proud of you."

Delilah surprised him when she dropped the book and embraced him in a hug.

"Please…don't go. Take me with you." She said with tears rolling down her face. "I…I lost my friends…my family…I don't know if I can lose another person I love."

Acnologia's shock showed on his face. He stared at the girl, before wrapping his right arm over her as an embrace.

"Idiot, you aren't going to lose me."

He forced his way out of her grip and stood straight. "I'm going to outlive you. But be rest assured…I will return. It will take years, but I will definitely come back to see how you've progressed."

She looked down to the ground and tried using her hands to wipe away the tears. She wanted to stop crying, and yet at the same time her body was shaky and refused to be strong like she hoped.

Acnologia wasted no time to turn into a beam of blue light. He shot up into the air and changed into his dragon form. General Abasi and his men were startled, with many expressing their shock and fear.

"We…We were fighting that?" General Abasi said, and chuckled nervously.

"**Enough crying, child!"** Acnologia shouted as he looked down at her. **"What do you do at times of sadness?! Think it through!"**

She fell silent and remembered her brother and Captain Gracie. Both of them wanted her to move on with her life. She also remembered her goal which she made known in front of Acnologia on the first day they met.

"I…understand." She muttered and straightened her back.

"**Excellent!" **Acnologia approved. **"Remember, I will always be with you, deep down no matter where you are! Now…show me how much you've grown…Show me how you wish to live!" **

She gulped down some saliva while in the moment of tears, and clutched her fist. The tears wouldn't stop coming down, but her conviction had returned stronger than ever before.

So, with a deep breath, she raised her fists to her chest level and cried out with a loud voice.

"I'M GOING TO KEEP ON LIVING! I'M GOING TO GET STRONGER! BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY…I'M GOING TO LIBERATE MY PEOPLE AND PROTECT THEEEEMM!"

"**That's right. Speak to the future and walk towards it! That…is what it means to keep living!" **

The Dragon King flapped his wings and set his course to leave.

"**I look forward to the type of woman you will become. Take care…Princess Delilah!"**

"Yes! Thank you!"

Acnologia flew off with a mighty wind created from a flap of his wings. Everyone below braced themselves, except Delilah who watched him fly off without another word.

'_Until we meet again…Goodbye, Master.' _She thought.

* * *

Tatsumi and Leone had completed their mission in the Capital. It was late at night, and the other members of Night Raid had just completed their own.

Sayo joined with Sheele and Mine to do their own mission. It was her first time to spill blood on her hand. But she had little time to actually get over it. Mine snapped her back to reality as they ran through a park while making their escape.

"Keep your head on the mission! You can't start feeling drawback over what actually happened!" Mine advised her.

"Um…yes, you're right." She nodded.

Just then, the three of them sensed something coming down on them. Quickly, the three of them jumped out of the way, and landed a few feet away. The concrete on which the mysterious beings landed on broke apart, with a dust cloud clearing up to reveal whom they were.

"I knew it." The enemy said with a female voice. She was holding a wanted poster of Sheele in her hand. "It's the same face as the one on the wanted poster. You are definitely Sheele of Night Raid."

She threw the wanted poster away, and looked at both Sayo and Mine.

"And judging from your companions, those two are also members of Night Raid. Hiding myself and waiting night after night was definitely worth it."

She grinned as she felt her adrenaline pumping. She was an Imperial Guard in company of her organic Teigu which was a small white and black abnormal looking dog. At last, she had tracked the same group that was responsible for her father's death and the loss of her mentor, Ogre.

Unknown to her however, they were being watched. A certain dragon slayer had followed her to see what she has been up to. And now that she had ambushed three members of the infamous group of assassins, he was intrigued to see them up close.

So he walked out of his hiding place. Seryu and the other girls heard his footsteps. But the one to sense the magic power from him was Sayo. She was stricken with fear.

'_This magic power…It's intoxicating.' _She thought.

"God Serena?" The Imperial Guard looked as he joined her by her side.

"That's my beautiful name. Please cheer on as I, the main character, make my debut." The Dragon Slayer said with a proud grin. "Step aside for the moment, girl. I've been itching for a fight for a while now. But of course, to them it would be nothing more than a one-sided defeat."

"What?! But I have to deliver justice on them!"

God Serena sighed and groaned. "If it helps you feel better, I'll take you to their hideout. Your dog can even feast on their leader."

Sheele and Mine grew angry at the thought. Seryu seemed excited as she smiled at him and balled her fist to her chest.

"Y-You know where the villains stay?"

"Not yet. But don't underestimate the nose of a Dragon Slayer's." He stated proudly with his nose upfront.

"Idiot!" Mine called Serena out. "Like we'll let you get anywhere near the hideout." She readied her Teigu for battle. "In fact, we're not letting you get away from this alive."

God Serena huffed and laughed. The only reaction it got from her was an angry glare. When he stopped, he placed his hand on his face and turned away with a smirk on his face.

"Mortals need to know their place before a god like myself." He said.

His smirk turned to a grin before he put his hand down. He took a step forward, and shattered the concrete underneath his foot. The shockwave from it travelled through the entire park, destroying the fountain and levelling down every tree.

A powerful wind also cut through the air, and caused the girls and Koro to scream as they were thrown off their feet and knocked to the ground.

God Serena remained the only one standing. He had a sickening grin on his face as he stared at the three Night Raid members.

"Now then…who shall become the first sacrificial lamb?"

* * *

**That's where I'm ending this chapter.**

**I actually typed more than a page to this ending. But then I realized that would be adding too much.**

**Fun Fact: The scene with Acnologia and Delilah in their final moment is similar to Igneel and Natsu following the former's death. I hope you enjoyed it. **

**Before I get to the poll, I just want to say a big thanks to everyone who voted and gave their own on Seryu and the story as a whole. I should note that I won't kill off God Serena and Irene just because some people feeling adding them 'ruin' the story or something like that. **

**I remember receiving the same complaint on a fanfiction. Now that fanfiction is my most popular fanfic, with over a thousand favorite and followers. **

**So yeah, I'm keeping them. But I will say to those that are critic about them, to please continue reading this fanfiction. I have many ways to surprising you. **

**Anyway, here are the results to the poll. **

"What do you want Seryu's fate to be?"

1) She should defect from the empire and try to redeem herself (11 votes)

2) Leave her character the way it is in the anime/manga (5 votes)

3) Become Acnologia's servant (4 votes)

4) Let her see the errors in the empire, but remain ignorant (1 vote)

The winner is the first choice.

Seryu will defect from the empire.

For those who disagree, I can assure you that I will do justice to make sure the development isn't rushed.

Thank you for taking your time to read this chapter. Check out my YouTube channel and subscribe. I will be doing a Q&A video when I hit 50 subs. That means questions from my fanfictions will be answered there.

The YouTube channel's name is "Facts and Fiction Studios"

Please let me know your thoughts in the reviews. I'll see you guys in the next chapter.


	10. Overwhelming Power

Hello there, my lovely readers! Hope you're having a wonderful day/night. Welcome back to this fanfiction.

I'm so sorry it took me long to update this. I've been quite busy. Besides, I have an announcement concerning the webcomic at the end of this manga. So sit tight and enjoy this chapter.

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN ANY TV SHOW. CAN ANYONE TELL ME WHY WE DO THIS DISCLAIMERS? LIKE SERIOUSLY, WHY?**

Now on to the chapter!

**Chapter 9: Overwhelming Power**

Tatsumi and Leone were heading back from a mission. After killing a drug-dealing gang who were poisoning society with addictive drugs, Tatsumi couldn't help but feel something was off about the night. He was back at the headquarters, his head turned to the direction of the Capital as he wondered about his friends who were yet to return.

"Sayo…Mine…Sheele…please be okay." He muttered.

Unknown to him, those friends of his were in a tight spot. Back in the park where they had been ambushed by Seryu, Koro and God Serena, they were in a face-off. The Dragon Slayer amongst them wanted to fight the three of them on his own. Mine had thought he was crazy until he showed just a tiny fracture of his power. She was bewildered, with the same for Sayo and Sheele.

While the other two thought that he was using a Teigu, Sayo understood the truth behind his strength. She sensed not just one, but eight dragon slayer magic coming from God Serena alone. It scared her a lot, and showed on her face as she stared at him.

'_We…We can't win this…' _She thought.

Mine scoffed from her bewilderment and pointed her sniper at him. "Don't think we're going to take this lightly, asshole!"

With that said, she unleashed a fury of bullets straight at God Serena. Sheele watched very closely while Sayo's fear grew. None of the bullets seemed to touch him. At the same time, God Serena was just standing there, a crocked grin on his face until Mine stopped.

"Bastard…how did you do that?!" She demanded.

God Serena huffed and opened his left hand. He dropped every bullet Mine had shot at him. The most shocking thing about it was the fact that none of them, not even Seryu, had seen him grab all those bullets.

"Oh? Don't tell me I scared you." God Serena said and laughed. "But of course, it's only natural for mere mortals to feel that way in front of a god."

Mine gritted her teeth. 'You're no god." She then pointed Pumpkin at him and pulled the trigger. "If anything, you're just a nuisance!"

"Huh?" He raised an eyebrow.

More bullets came flying towards him, but this time he allowed them to bounce off him.

"BAKA! Your attempts are nothing but futile!"

"I know!" Mine shouted

God Serena was confused until he noticed a shadow on top of him. Looking up, he barely caught sight of Sheele before she came down behind him and sliced through his back. The attack came so sudden that it caused Seryu to scream.

"Serena-sama!"

Sayo and Mine smiled. God Serena had finally taken a hit. But that smile soon turned to horror when he chuckled and slammed the back of his fist against Sheele's face. Her glasses broke in an instant, and she was sent flying straight to a tree, where her back slammed against it. The impact knocked the air right out of her lungs before she landed on the ground on her front.

"Worry not, Seryu. I was simply startled." God Serena assured her.

"Sheele!" Mine cried out and looked at the place Sheele lay.

God Serena grinned and prepared to jump. "If I were you…" He paused and jumped towards Mine. To the human eye, it almost seemed like he teleported, because now he was just a few feet away from Mine. "…I would be concern about my life!"

The pink-haired assassin barely got out of the way as she jumped back. But the shockwave was one thing she couldn'tt escape. Serena's punch ripped through the battlefield, breaking up the pavement and the earth as it swept through that area of the park.

Mine and Sayo were thrown away before they slammed against the ground. God Serena was on a whole different level from Zank the Beheader. He was simply toying with them without using his magic. Just his superhuman strength alone would be enough to kill them despite Mine's Teigu.

'_He's too strong…Should I use magic too? That might stop him from assaulting Mine and turn his attention to me, but…why can't I move?' _Sayo thought.

She knew the truth, but refused to admit it. God Serena was someone beyond her league. Zanks was someone whom she was confident she could deal with. He was a human who was just using a Teigu. But God Serena was a monster who didn't even need to use magic. That's what petrified her as she watched what happened next.

Mine got back on her feet and pulled the trigger of her Teigu, Pumpkin, which released a powerful yellow beam. God Serena huffed and smirked when he saw the attack. Rather than dodging, he literally backhanded the beam towards another direction, shocking both Mine and Sayo at the same time.

Again, he made a leap towards Mine. The assassin had to jump to her right side to avoid him. As long as she kept her distance from him, she still had an advantage in the battle. But God Serena saw it the other way, and dug his hand on the ground which she once stood up.

Without allowing his feet to touch the ground, he turned himself to her direction and launched himself to that way. The gap between him and her where closed, and before she could react, he grabbed her face and slammed the back of her head against the ground.

"MINE!" Sayo cried out.

She snapped out of her mood and shot an arrow straight at God Serena. At the same time, Mine pointed her Pumpkin directly on the man's cheek and unleashed a powerful mean. That alone engulfed his whole head and go straight into the skies. Anyone who saw it where alerted to their position, but none of that mattered to Mine. As long as it dealt with God Serena, that would be enough.

However, the beam had no effect on him. Mine was utterly shocked when she saw God Serena swallow the rest of the beam.

Mine gasped. She remembered the last person who had eaten her beam. Acnologia had swallowed the whole thing down like it was nothing when they had fought at the back of Aria's mansion. But the difference in him and God Serena were clear.

Acnologia enjoyed the thrill of the battle while the so-called god liked a one-sided fight. Both of them were deadly in their own ways, but God Serena was the worse.

The arrow which Sayo had shot was caught in his hand.

"Thanks." He said before he stabbed it through the wrist of the same arm that carried Mine's pumpkin.

Mine cried out in unbelievable pain and dropped the weapon.

"MINE! MINE, I'M SO SORRY!" Sayo shouted before she got back on her feet. "Hold on! I'm coming to save you!"

"Not!" God Serena said and smashed his hand into the ground.

Sayo's footing was lost when a large boulder came out from the earth and slammed against her. It sent her flying a few meters away, hurt but alive.

"Sa…yo…" Mine muttered, beaten up. Her face was nearly coated in her own blood.

"Mortals are so much fun." Serena commented.

"STAY AWAY FROM HER!" Sheele cried out in rage.

God Serena looked at her direction. Gone were her purple glasses; her eyes were filled with rage. Though her speed to close the gap was impressive, it wasn't even close to God Serena.

He stood up, cut the distance between her while he dodged her Extase's blade for his chest, and punched her in the stomach. Sheele grunted in pain before she was pummeled with the same attack but with two fists.

Each blow launched her higher into the air while the rest of it kept her in the air as he continued. An astonished and amazed Seryu watched the scene with awestruck eyes,

'_Incredible! He's delivering justice like a true hero!' _She admired in her head.

Mine staggered back to her feet as every part of her body hurt. She was barely able to stand before she was attacked again. God Serena had moved fast and rammed into her with great force. As such, she was flung away while he went back to Sheele, whose body was still in the air, before he roundhouse kicked her at the chest.

Sheele's body was sent bouncing on the ground twice. Her Teigu flew out of her hand before her body rolled up to the feet of Seryu and Koro, where they looked down on her beaten up body.

"There you go." God Serena said as he looked over to them. "Wouldn't she make a nice snack for your dog?"

Seryu's mad grin appeared, and she nodded. Sayo gasped as she staggered back on her feet. Even with her current magic power, she knew she didn't stand a chance against God Serena. The situation was worsening by the second. But there was one thing she could do.

"W-Wait!" She cried out to them. "Please…leave them alone…I…I know Acnologia! Don't you want to see him?! You're a dragon slayer, aren't you?!"

God Serena and Seryu turned their attention to her. The latter was aware of God Serena's origins. The dragon slayer was curious and said. "The fact you know what a dragon slayer is says much. Are you from Earthland?"

"No, but…I'm his student." Sayo answered with hesitation. "So…please…let them go."

"Sayo…" Mine moaned.

Her injuries were severe. Not only was she bleeding on the outside, but at the inside too. If nothing was done, she might die soon. She knew that very much and yet didn't seem afraid. Despite the pain, she pushed her herself up with her hands.

"SHUT UP, YOU IDIOT!" Mine yelled.

"Huh?" Sayo questioned.

Mine panted, each breath from her attempt to control the pain and her own heartbeat.

"YOU CALL YOURSELF A MEMBER OF NIGHT RAID?! WHAT DO YOU THINK WE ARE?! EACH ONE OF US KNEW WE WILL DIE FOR OUR SINS?! DON'T LOOK DOWN ON OUR RESOLVE! "

Sayo was taken aback. "But, Mine…I thought you…Don't you want to see this till the end?"

* * *

It was a few days ago. Najenda had sent the group off to assassinate the Prime Minister's cousin. After their success, Mine, Sayo, and Tatsumi were heading to the rendezvous spot.

"You're incredible, Mine." Sayo said as she followed from behind. "I've been training with arrows and bows for a long time, but I can never make a shot like that."

"Hmph! Of course, you can't! I'm a genius, after all!" Mine said and stuck her head up in pride. While Tatsumi groaned from it, she changed her attitude and added. "But…I wasn't always like that. I was born and raised on the western border of the empire. Half of my blood is foreign so I was mercilessly ridiculed as nobody accepted me…Well except for him. "

"Him?" Tatsumi asked.

Mine stopped the walk and looked back at them. "Sheele probably told you about him. The man with blood hair who could control lightning."

"Yuri Dreyar?" Tatsumi asked.

Mine nodded and looked to the nightly skies. "I never got to thank him for the times we had…I swore to myself that one day…I'll match up to his dream…to fight and live to see a better world."

"Wow, was he really that amazing?" Sayo asked.

Mine simply and said. "The Revolutionary Army hold him as a symbol for the new country, so I guess that answers your questions…But you know, the Revolutionary Army formed an alliance with the people of the west….I'm sure if he was still alive, he would've led the way for diplomatic relations between races. That is why…because of the light he shined in my life, I will never let any form of discrimination happen to any kid again."

* * *

Present day Mine smirked and said. "You say the dumbest things sometimes…A part of me knew I wouldn't see this till the end."

"D-Don't say that, Mine!" Sayo cried out. "We can make it through this! We just have to wait a bit longer! I'm sure Acnologia is on his way right now!"

"Idiot…" Mine commented before she took a deep breath. Then she bellowed. "WHAT DO YOU TAKE ME FOR?! A SCAREDY CAT?! YOU'RE A PART OF NIGHT RAID, SO STICK UP YOUR CHEST AND STOP ACTING LIKE A WIMP, YOU IDIOT!"

"Mine…"

She calmed down a bit and added. "Listen…people are going to die. Friends…family…every one of them…can die. That's what this crazy world ever does…It just takes…and takes…and takes some more without ever feeling satisfied. But…that's why you must never give up…You have to stand and say "That's enough" and fight for what you believe and those you cherish."

Those words Mine had said were actually recited from Yuri Dreyar. When she was still little, he was washing her hair by a pond in the forest.

"But…I don't have any friends." Little Mine said as she turned to him, frowning. "I'm…I'm all alone."

Yuri stared at her before he smirked and patted her on the head. "Idiot, you're not alone. You got me."

"I…I do?"

"Yep." He answered and looked to the skies. "And somewhere out there exists people who will want to become your friend. You just have to set out and find them."

Mine's eyes seemed to dazzle as she stared at him. Yuri looked so admirable in her eyes. The view of him was burned in her mind, and she would never forget it.

Back to the present, the situation was looking very dire.

"Mine…" Sayo murmured, saddened and confused. "Why…Why don't you want to live?"

Mine chuckled with her bloody lips shaped into a small smile. "Idiot, I'm not suicidal. But…I recognize what I've done isn't heroic. This is my retribution. I only fear that…my friends will die along with me."

God Serena grinned and grabbed her by the top of her hair. He pulled it and forced her to her knees despite her hard groans.

"You heard the girl. Besides, I don't need her anymore." He said.

"MINE!" Sayo screamed. She tried to take a step, but her feet refused to move. This scene of terror was worse than the time she faced Zanks.

"Sayo…" Mine called. "I never got to say this, but…you and Tatsumi aren't so bad. Despite how naïve the both of you can be sometimes, I know the two of you will be fine in Night Raid."

"Mine, shut up!" Sayo cried, this time with tears. "Fight! You have to fight now!"

"Hmph…I can say the same for you."

"What?"

"You've been holding back on us…,and it's okay. I know because you held your own against Zanks…So…as a last wish from me, a friend, please…stop –"

"Enough from you!" God Serena declared and plunged his chest through her chest.

Mine grunted and spat out blood. God Serena's hand came out the other way. His sleeve was coated in her blood as her bloody hands grabbed on to it.

"STOP…HOLDING…BACK!"

And with that, she smiled and bowed her head. The life in her eyes disappeared before God Serena pulled his arm out of her and threw her to the ground like a ragdoll. He then faced Sayo who was staring at Mine's corpse, her eyes and breathe completely shaken at what she was seeing.

"I'd say she's gone to heaven, but we both we both know she's in hell now."

Tears running down Sayo's face dropped to the ground. Everything Mine had told her repeated through her head. Before her eyes, she was thinking back to the times she knew Mine. If only she had gotten to know the girl a bit more then maybe they could've been great friends. But God Serena had taken that from them.

That one realization dawned on her. In an instant she remembered Mine's last words and stood up straight. The magic power in her began to rise as rage coursed through her body. God Serena was beginning to sense it, but couldn't do anything. With a loud and powerful cry, Sayo threw her arms aside and unleashed the power in her.

"**AH…AH…AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"**

God Serena was taken aback as her power sent a massive shockwave through the entire park. Just the wind from her became stronger and threatened to push Seryu and Koro away. The both of them had to firm their ground and shield their faces from the powerful air. Sheele had woken up in that moment, but she was too dazed to understand what was happening.

Unknown to every one of them, they were being watched. Irene had sensed God Serena's fight from the start and came to investigate. She had expected a one-sided fight just like him. However, she was witnessing a turnout she hadn't predicted would happen. The magic power coming from Sayo was mesmerizing and very familiar.

"This magic power…So, it really is you." She smirked.

Sayo's entire aura and clothing had changed. She was equipped in a purple leather top and short skirt, black and purpled-striped leg armor and shoes, and shoulder plates with the same design. Behind her was a bunch of magic-based arrows circling around like a wheel.

Sayo's eyes were fixed on God Serena, filled with conviction and anger. Mine was right about her. It was time that she stopped holding back.

* * *

Within a location unknown to anyone, a single body lay on the plain sandy ground. There were houses everywhere, but no sign of anyone except one person. She was the person lying on the ground, her pink dress and hair clean despite the torture she went through.

At first nothing happened, but as someone approached her, the shadow obstructing the light through her closed eyes caught her attention, and so she opened them.

"What…the…" Mine murmured before her eyes looked up at the person in front of her. "You? What are you doing here?"

Acnologia groaned but never said a word. He just kept looking down at her, even as she stood up and dusted her dress.

"Great…Don't tell me you died too. You're really useless, aren't you?"

He sighed and smiled a bit. "Humans really are amazing. You kind of remind me of **them**."

"What are you talking about?" Mine asked and looked around. "And where is this? Shouldn't the afterlife be more…fire everywhere and gnashing of teeth?"

"Huh…Is that what you think?" Acnologia asked rhetorically. "You're not in hell, I can guarantee that. Just as you died, I snatched your soul and brought you here, to my time dimension."

"You can do that?" Mine asked, amazed for a moment before she shook her head. "No way! There's no Teigu that can do that!"

The Dragon King raised an eyebrow. "True, there's no Teigu that can do that. But someone with time and space magic can achieve it. Think about it for a moment. You are no longer bound by the logic of life."

Mine paused as she thought deeply about what he said. Now that she heard him right, he had a point. She was able to see things a bit more clearly. But even when that realization dawned on her, she just snubbed him and crossed her arms.

"Whatever. So you're some magician, I don't care anymore. I'm already dead." Though she said that, a frown crossed her face as she looked away.

"You missed them, don't you?" Acnologia asked. "Tatsumi, Sayo, Sheele…and every one of your friends."

"Hmph!" She snubbed again. "And what if I do?! It's only natural! But…" She paused and smiled. "I know they're going to be alright…somehow. Someday they'll join me…and we'll all smile again. I look forward to the stories they'll have for me."

Acnologia stared at her, fascinated by her mindset. She really reminded him of the hearts of Fairy Tail members. But it did make sense since she was motivated by one of their founding members. The Dragon King had seen her moments with the man. He reminded him a lot of the Lightning Dragon Slayer he fought with Natsu and the others.

But none of that was important. Though Acnologia maintained interfering little with the group of assassins, he was beginning to reconsider those thoughts.

"You know, just because you died, it does not mean that this is the end of your journey."

Mine raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about?" Mine asked.

He didn't exactly explain it to her. Rather, he pushed his hand forward and created two portals. One of them was completely white and shining, while the other was multi-color and swirling.

"By your left is the doorway to the afterlife. It's the one that's shining so bright. Pick that one and you will be reunited with your parents and every loved one that has died and will die sometime in the future."

Mine stared at his left hand. Though he sounded ridiculous, she thought he made some sense. He clearly was a being from another world.

"What's the other one?"

"A new life."

"What do you mean?"

"You will be reborn in this world. Pick that one and you will be born again as a baby, raised by a different family and live a completely new life. But you cannot choose what it can be. You can be reincarnated fifty or two hundred years from your death. I advise that you choose wisely. This is your second and last life."

"Second…life?" Mine questioned and laughed. "And here I thought there was only one."

She understood the magnitude of her position. A part of her thought about going to the afterlife. She will finally be reunited with her parents and see her friends once they died. But at the same time, she wasn't comfortable with that. She wanted to see how the country will become years from now. It was her dream to see things through till the end. Even if she doesn't have her friends with her, like Yuri once said, there are people out there waiting to become her friend.

She looked back at Acnologia. "Hey, Acnologia. That one over there." She pointed at the reincarnation portal. "Are people being treated as equals? Are children still being discriminated because of the color of their skin or where they come from? And by any chance…is it as rotten as the empire?"

"No."

Seriously?!" Mine's eyes widened as she stared at him with hope. "Do you mean that?!"

"Whenever your new life begins, I will ensure that it's in a world where you won't see wars or discrimination. Who knows, you might see the fruits of the Revolutionary Army's victory, assuming they win in the end."

Mine smirked. "No, they're going to win. I'll bet my next life on this."

She turned away and headed to the portal. It seemed to shine brighter, like it was beckoning her to come through it. But she stopped and looked back at Acnologia. She had one more thing to say.

She reached her hand to his right hand, but stopped. Before she would go away, she had one last thing to say to the Dragon King.

"You know, you're not half bad. Sometimes you act like you don't care, but I know deep down you want to help. Let me guess, someone inspired you to be this way too huh."

"You could say that." Acnologia said honestly.

Mine replied. "Now a part of me wants to know who he is. But…at least I can go away now, knowing that you're not so bad. Thank you…Acnologia."

And so, she took a few steps inside the portal, and disappeared out of his sight. Both portals disappeared were gone soon after that. As for Acnologia, he looked up to the bright and nice skies and said. "You're welcome…Mine."

He looked away to the distance before a screen appeared in front of him. On it was Sayo, sporting a new look with a magical aura coming from her. While Acnologia's mind and spirit was watching, his body was back in the real world, heading towards the battlefield.

"This…might just become interesting." He said and grinned.

* * *

Sheele's mind was coming back to reality again. As the wind began to die done, she looked to Sayo's direction and was almost petrified by what she was seeing. Sayo stood in an aura unlike anything seen before, with clothes that she, herself, knew that the girl didn't wear before. Last time she had seen someone in such a position was Yuri Dreyar, minus the change of clothes.

She looked away and searched for Mine. When she saw her best friend, her heart sank in an instant. Mine's body lay on the ground, some feet away, and with a hole in her chest as blood soaked her dress.

"MINE!" She shouted and rushed into her feet.

"Sheele!" Sayo called her. She caught the assassin's attention and added. "Take her body and go! I'm taking this bastard down!"

"Oh?" God Serena smug and chuckled. "I do enjoy a good joke, but not a lie."

Sheele gazed at Sayo whose serious glare sent a shiver down her spine. She didn't want to argue, thus she went and picked up Extase and strapped it on her back. She might meet some Imperial officers along the way. As for Mine, she took in a deep breath and released it before she picked up her best friend's corpse.

"Stop right there, villain!" Seryu yelled as she pointed at Sheele. "You're not going any –"

God Serena stopped her by holding up his hand. "Let her go. Remember, I'll take you to their hideout after this. So just be patient, little one."

Seryu wanted to protest, but she sighed and gave in. Sheele looked at her and then at Serena, who just winked at her with a mischievous grin. She snarled before she ran over to Sayo with Mine's body in her hand.

"I'm sorry…Please…avenge Mine." She murmured before she ran passed her.

"I will…I promise." Sayo assured her.

Sheele was soon out of the sight. The battle between the mages was about to commence.

Sayo was the first to respond. She stepped her right foot forward and leapt straight at God Serena. The dragonslayer's eyes widened in a moment of shock before he stepped aside. Sayo came straight at him like a lightning bolt, and before Seryu could blink, she was ten feet behind him.

God Serena smirked as he wiped a cut on his cheek. He had narrowly escaped her strike. As Sayo came to a stop, the wind built-up from her speed came and brushed passed her and the dragonslayer, the former of who had her hair blissfully pushed by it.

"I'm impressed." God Serena said as he turned to her. "This might turn out to be as fun as the time I beat up those pathetic Magic Council."

His body was feeling fired up before he jumped straight at her. Like he did with Mine, his speed was too fast for the average eye. However, Sayo saw it coming, and dodged the punch for her head.

God Serena landed on the ground and proceeded to punch and kick her. Each attempt he made, however, were in vain as Sayo moved out of the way and dodged them all.

Sayo jumped back and did a backflip with her hands planted on the floor. When she touched the ground with her feet again, God Serena clutched both his fists and summoned fire and lightning to engulf both of them.

"Let's step it up a bit!" He shouted and charged at her.

Sayo was attacked by both fists which carried a lot of strength and magic power. Seryu and Koro groaned as the wind from each blow was directed at everywhere, including them. But Sayo was unfazed, as she cleverly pushed his arms asides while moving back, thus causing his fire and lightning to shoot out randomly and destroy anything in its way.

God Serena was enjoying the thrill of the battle. All this time he was just holding back. While Sayo was focused on his fists, he halted the attack and suddenly swung a kick engulfed by the earth, straight for her face.

"AH HA!" He exclaimed with a grin.

His thrill turned into shock when she grabbed it. There was no indication that she would do it since his attack was fast. But before his brain could comprehend, she punched him in the gut.

"URGH!" God Serena grunted.

He was knocked off his other foot before both feet touched the ground and skidded back. When he looked at Sayo again, he was pissed.

"CONGRATULATIONS! YOU MANAGED TO PISS ME OFF!" God Serena yelled.

God Serena's anger grew when Sayo's lips shaped into a teasing smirk. The dragonslayer cried out in anger and raised his hands above his head. He gathered the wind in the air, the earth of the very ground, water from every tree, lightning from his fists and fire from his mouth.

These combined powers formed into a giant magical and elemental ball. Rocks and Water circled around the giant balls as fire, air and fire were the core of the attack, moving in a circle in harmony.

"BEYOND! THE POWER OF THE DRAGON GOD!" And with that, he exclaimed. "**UNIFIED DRAGON SLAYER MAGIC OF THE FIVE ELEMENTS: COMPLETE DEMOLITION!" **

He threw the massive ball down for Sayo, but the girl was unfazed. One of the magical arrows circling behind her suddenly shot up at the thing and destroyed it in one fair swoop. An explosion of multicolor from the attacks coursed through the entire park. Meanwhile, her arrow shot into the sky and wiped out every cloud across the Capital.

Besides the full moon, any source of light in the park was gone now. As for Sayo's counterattack, it caught the attention of every resident in the Capital who just so happened to be outside or looking through a window. That included guards and Imperial officials who were in the palace, especially the emperor and Honest.

"Shit! That's not all I have!" God Serena yelled.

His entire body was coat by black aura before he shot his right arm forward. "DARK SHADOW DRAGON: DANCE OF DARKNESS!"

Five shadows in the shape of human arms rose from his aura and enlarged themselves. Each of them charged at Sayo in unison, causing her to dodge and move out of their way.

But they were true to their name. Regardless of where they hit, they always found a way to go back to her. Sayo even received some damage when they scratched her stomach, back and right leg.

"HAHAHAHAHAHA!" God Serena laughed.

He was happy to see some damage happen to her. Even Sayo's pained face was a wash of relief and joy to him.

Sayo had enough of them. She made a massive jump back and shot her arms forward. This caused the arrows behind her to double in numbers and fly straight at the relentless arrows. God Serena was shocked when each of them were destroyed.

"Impossible! Even light magic can't cancel them!" He shouted.

Sayo jumped straight for him regardless of the huge distance between them now. God Serena followed her move. Both of them clashed on the air before they were pushed back because of it.

The same move happened again on the ground, whereby they met and clashed before they were pushed back again. But the one to close the gap was Sayo, who began to pummel the dragonslayer with fast and accurate punches for his face, chest and neck.

God Serena blocked and deflected every one of them, but the strain was beginning to show. Sayo's strength was growing with each passing second, and he didn't like it.

The situation worsened for him when her right foot connected with his stomach. He grunted from the immense impact before Sayo bent back, planted her feet on the ground and kicked both her legs against his chin.

"NRGHH!" He cried out in pain.

God Serena was flown a few feet in the air. Sayo stretched her arms forward and sent two of the arrows behind her against him. The dragonslayer was hit with the simultaneous attack which exploded and sent him towards the ground.

He wasn't done yet, though. He landed on his feet, where Sayo then showed up by his right side and punched him in the face. The hit caused him to turn the other way and stumble. But he regained himself in an instant.

"HEAVENLY LIGHT DRAGON: ROAR!" God Serena yelled.

He unleashed a massive beam from his mouth, straight for Sayo. Fortunately, she moved out of the way before he shot his arms forward and began to shoot both Heavenly Light and Dark dragonslayer magic.

Sayo had to put some distance between them. As the balls of magic came for her, she moved to the other way and dodged them. She even resorted to constant flips just to evade them.

God Serena snarled and stopped his attack. He slammed his hands on the ground and cried out. "CAVERN DRAGONSLAYER: EARTH'S DESTRUCTION!"

That entire area of the park exploded. Trees and what remained of them were sent flying with many rock debris. Alongside them were Seryu and Koro, both of whom were about to crash on the ground if not for the latter who enlarged himself and cushioned Seryu's fall.

"Urgh…Thanks, Koro." Seryu said. She sat up on her pet and looked back at the battlefield which was a few miles away from them now. In deep concern for God Serena, she said. "Please…don't give up."

Back at the center of the battlefield, a massive dust cloud covered the whole area. God Serena emerged from it on top of a water tornado. He looked around, sweat dropping from his face as he searched for any of Sayo.

Suddenly, the dust cloud was blown away. Sayo emerged from it, heading straight for God Serena in her golden aura brighter than before. God Serena scoffed and shot both his arms forward. In an instant he fired a massive combined power of purgatory flames and sea king dragonslayer magic straight at Sayo.

She couldn't fly, so there was no way she would evade the attack. However she reached to her back and grabbed one of the arrows. With it, the magical arrow materialized into a long metallic arrow which she threw at the top of the attacks and rode on top of like a surfboard.

God Serena gasped. Sayo surprised him again when she pushed the arrow straight at him, forcing him to backhand it and stop his attack. Before he knew it, Sayo kicked him at the face, disrupting his concentration of the water below him, and kicked him again, knocking him to the ground.

God Serena groaned and staggered back to his feet. The beating and humiliation was building up his rage. He retaliated by pushing his arms forward, causing every bit of darkness in the entire park to swallow Sayo.

"DARK SHADOW DRAGON: DARKNESS WHOLESOME!"

Sayo was again in a position she couldn't avoid. But her arrows flew straight at the shadows and destroyed them in a blinding gold light. Sayo emerged from the whole thing, flipping as her arms held her knees to her chest. When she landed on the ground, the earth broke apart from the impact.

God Serena snarled again and crossed his arms over his chest. He then pushed them aside and unleashed powerful lightning bolts from every front part of his body. Added to that, he unleashed a massive lightning dragon roar, with some of them concentrated on Sayo.

The black-haired girl was able to dodge every one of his attack, including his attack. As she ran, she maneuvered through his attacks before she caught up with him. With a single punch at his face, she halted his attacks and pushed him back.

God Serena growled in a mix of anger and pain. He swung his left arm at her and unleashed a slash of fire at her. She ducked and closed the gap between them before she punched him at the stomach.

"ARGH!"

The dragonslayer's anger turned to rage, and he unleashed a mix of Heavenly Light and Dark Emperor Dragon Slayer magic from his mouth. Since it was directly straight for Sayo, she jumped, did a front flip and slammed both her feet against his face. God Serena was knocked off his feet before they touched the ground again and dragged through the earth's surface.

As he was recovering, Sayo chose the moment to attack again. She cut the distance between them and kicked him in the stomach. This was enough to startle him as she proceeded to start punching him at every upper part of his body.

God Serena was being overwhelmed. Though he blocked and dodged a few of her attacks, there weren't enough to stop the constant attacks from the black-haired girl.

At last, he was able to deflect her punch and move back. Coated in bruises and sweat, the dragonslayer was raged. Before Sayo could do anything, he sunk his whole body into his own shadow, only to then pull out his hand from Sayo's shadow and pull her in.

The black-haired girl was dragged inside, where in the shadow dimension their battle was materialized in the forms of loud booms and thuds spread throughout the Capital and beyond.

Even Night Raid's hideout was affected. After running away to the best of her ability, Sheele had delivered Mine's corpse before she collapsed to the ground. She almost fell unconscious if not for the fact that she managed to pull herself together and explain what happened. As expected everyone was shocked and saddened, with Tatsumi angered before he stated that they should attack Mine's killer. Bulat quickly shot down that idea with a single punch that knocked him down.

Anything else was suddenly halted when they felt the tremors everywhere.

"Wh…What's happening?!" Lubbock questioned.

"The earth is shaking!" Bulat stated.

"Is this some kind of earthquake?!" Leone questioned.

Najenda shook her head. "This is no earthquake! That hasn't happened for centuries!"

She was right to assume such, because the answers showed themselves. From the hideout's own shadow, two figures emerged from it, one of them looking beaten up as he spat out blood and the other chasing after him.

"Sayo?!" Tatsumi shouted in shock and stood up from the ground.

As God Serena landed some feet away, Sheele recognized him right away and said. "That's him…That's the man who killed Mine."

The group were shocked. Though Sheele hadn't given detail about the one-sided fight, she had stated strongly that the man was powerful. But here he was, facing Sayo while in a rough state.

Speaking of the girl, she looked entirely different from the last time they saw her. She didn't even seem to notice them when she landed a few feet away from God Serena. The dragonslayer summoned purgatory and lightning onto his right fist before he jumped straight for Sayo.

When he slammed his fist on her forehead, however, two arrows from her back materialized into titanium and blocked the attack. They crossed each other as God Serena's raging eyes met with Sayo's angry eyes.

With one motion of her right hand, the arrows pushed the dragonslayer away. A powerful wind swept from that act alone and caused Tatsumi, Lubbock and Leone to brace themselves. The only ones seemingly unaffected were Akame, Najenda and Bulat as they watched the battle.

God Serena's feet dragged through the ground's surface before he cried out in anger and jumped straight at her. He swung his fist down, but she dodged and spun before she punched him in the face.

The dragonslayer stumbled but regained himself. One of Sayo's arrows which had been a shield to her then flew and cut across God Serena's back. The enraged dragonslayer cried out in pain and mindlessly turned to get back at the arrow. But that left him open for Sayo, who punched him in the face again.

God Serena swung his arm to hit her, but missed. As he did so, the other arrow slashed across his back, leaving a big gash as he froze and cried out from the pain. Sayo silenced him when she sweep-kick him off the ground and sent both arrows to stab his chest.

"I'M ENDING THIS HERE, SERENA!" Sayo stated out loud and pushed her arms forward. "THIS IS FOR WHAT YOU DID TO MINE AND SHEELE! NOW ROT IN HELL!"

Sheele was taken aback when she heard her name. In a way she was touched by Sayo's intention.

At both end of the arrows, they unleashed golden flames which launched God Serena through countless trees.

"AAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" God Serena screamed.

Even with his immense endurance, he was feeling every single hit until the whole thing came to an end when he crashed into the side of a distant mountain. The arrows then exploded, destroying half of the mountain and engulfing the dragonslayer.

"In…Incredible." Tatsumi uttered, his eyes widened as he stared at his best friend.

"You could say that again." Leone said, agreeing with his reaction. "Where did that come from?"

"Was that…even a Teigu?" Lubbock wondered.

Najenda and Bulat said nothing, but the straight and bold looks on their faces confirmed one thing. Whatever Sayo just did was beyond the power of an average Teigu. Even the combined power of Akame and Bulat couldn't march to what Sayo just did. If Najenda had to guess, this power could match Esdeath.

"Sayo!" Tatsumi cried out. Sayo was shaken before she turned back and realized where she was. Her best friend stood there and smiled at her. "Thank goodness. You're okay."

"Tatsumi…" She said and smiled.

However, the moment changed when pain shot through her whole body, and she screamed out in pain. Blood shot out of her mouth before she felt weak and fell to the ground unconscious. In that moment, the debris of the mountain shot into the sky and caught Night Raid's attention. God Serena stood once again, his clothes in tatters before he opened his mouth and unleashed flames of different colors that represented the eight dragon slayer magic in him.

"He's not dead?!" Lubbock shouted. "Nobody should've survived that!"

Najenda had to agree. With the way he was beaten, he shouldn't have survived a powerful blast like that. God Serena was truly one of the strongest dragonslayer. Just the power coming from him reminded them of Acnologia.

"Sayo! Wake up!" Tatsumi cried as he was knelt on the ground, his friend's body close to him as he held her. "Please don't die! You can't die too!"

The brown-haired teen was in tears. He had lost Ieyasu and Mine. He couldn't afford to lose his other best friend so soon.

"**SHE'S NOT DEAD." **

That voice alone shook their hearts. Leone and Akame could sense a tremendous pressure upon themselves. Their instincts were screaming to run away, but they didn't. Everyone looked up and gasped as a black dragon flew touched and touched the ground with his two feet. The wind from his flapping wings blew throughout the whole area.

"**THE GIRL IS FINE. SHE SIMPLY PUSHED HERSELF TOO FAR. BUT I MUST ADMIT, SHE SURPRISED EVEN ME." **The black dragon said.

"Ac…Acnologia, is that really you?" Tatsumi asked.

The other gasped as they stared at the massive creature in front of them. Lubbock, Bulat and Akame were about ready to attack if not for what Tatsumi just said. As Leone stared at the dragon, she recognized who he is.

"No way…It's really you." She said in shock.

Acnologia looked back and stared at Sheele. She had fallen unconscious due to her injuries. He then looked back at Sayo and then at the others. **"GET THOSE TWO SOME MEDICAL HELP! LOOKS LIKE I HAVE A THORN TO DEAL WITH!" **

Without another word, he flapped his majestic wings again and flew straight at God Serena. The others groaned and braced themselves due to the wind created from the wings. When they looked at the direction of the former mountain, they saw the Dragon King heading to God Serena.

The dragonslayer had closed his mouth when he noticed something heading towards him. Due to his enhanced eyes, he was able to see the dragon coming towards him, and recognized him right away.

"HAHAHA! YES! WE MEET AGAIN! YOU FINALLY CAME TO MEET YOUR END, HUH?! ACNOLOGIA!"

God Serena was excited to face Acnologia again. Ever since he was killed by the Dragon King, he looked forward to a rematch with the Dragon King.

He wasted no time. He clutched his fist and summoned every magic power he had within before he unleashed it on Acnologia. The flames was a combination of his eight dragon slayer magic. The multicolor showed as they closed the gap between him and the dragon king.

Acnologia came to a stop and looked down at him. **"I DO NOT REMEMBER WHO YOU ARE! BUT I CAN TELL YOU ONE THING! THIS PLACE WILL BE YOUR RESTING TOMB!" **

"WHAT?!" God Serena yelled.

Acnologia opened his mouth and unleashed a huge blue fire ball. God Serena's attack clashed with the dragon's fireball.

"HOW DARE YOU LOOK DOWN ON ME, ACNOLOGIA!? I'M GOD SERENA, THE DRAGONSLAYER THAT NOT EVEN DRAGON GODS CAN HOPE TO SEE THE LIGHT OF DAY! I SHALL BE THE ONE TO SLAY YOU! DO YOU HEAR ME, ACNOLOGIA!?"

Acnologia huffed through his nostrils. The battle's result was clear. Even if God Serena was at full strength, he wouldn't stand a chance against the Dragon King. That became clear when the dragonslayer saw his attack being pushed back.

"IM…IMPOSSIBLE!" God Serena shouted as his eyes widened. 'I…I CANNOT BE BEATEN! I'M GOD SERENA!"

Each second that passed worsened for him. God Serena could see his life flashing before his eyes. But it wouldn't change anything. Even though he was groaning and pushing himself, he knew he wasn't going to make it.

"**LOOKS LIKE THIS IS THE END FOR YOU." **Acnologia said, stating the obvious.** "BUT I HAVE SEEN HOW YOU FIGHT…AND HONESTLY…YOU REMIND ME OF MYSELF BACK IN EARTHLAND. I, TOO, THOUGHT THAT I COULD HAVE EVERYTHING I WANTED JUST BECAUSE I WAS STRONG. BUT…I WAS WRONG…" **

As Acnologia said that, he remembered Natsu. Despite his superior power, the son of Igneel had defeated him with help from his friends and people around the world. It showed the Dragon King something he had forgotten for so long; the true power that comes with fighting for someone else.

"**MAYBE YOU'LL BE REINCARNATED AGAIN IN THIS WORLD OR IN ANOTHER WORLD. WHATEVER THE CASE, I'D LIKE IT IF YOU BECOME A GOOD PERSON. REMEMBER THIS AS YOU DIE. TRUE STRENGTH DOESN'T LIE IN ONESELF, BUT…WITH FRIENDS AND FAMILY."**

"What…stupid logic is that?!" God Serena exclaimed through groans. But in those few moments he had, Acnologia's words sunk in deep, and he smiled. "Hope you're right, Acnologia…I'm going to hold up accountable."

Acnologia huffed before he pushed his hand at the direction of the fireball, causing it to push further through God Serena's attack.

"**YOU HAVE MY WORD…WHO KNOWS, PERHAPS WE'LL HAVE A LITTLE ONE-ON-ON IN ANOTHER LIFE…GOODBYE, SERENA." **

God Serena snickered and stopped his attack. Acnologia's fireball came and consumed him in an instant. The last thing the dragonslayer thought of was another chance. As the blue flames destroyed the entire area and shook the ground, he could only pray to whatever god that was listening to him would grant him a third chance.

"AHH…AAHHHH…AAHHHHHHHH!"He screamed before his whole body was destroyed.

* * *

Few minutes passed since the end of the battle. Najenda ordered everyone but Bulat to head back to the hideout and take care of Sayo and Sheele. The both of them headed to the sight of the battle before hiding behind an uprooted tree which barely survived Acnologia's attack.

A giant hole existed from where the mountain used to be. Anything that was close to the area was burnt to ashes as even the ground was pitch black. Acnologia was standing at the edge of the hole when he sensed something.

"You know, I think I remember his name now…Hopefully, he'll get another chance and live a good life."

Najenda and Bulat were suspicious. He was speaking in a way that was directed towards them. It was as if he was speaking to someone who they couldn't see.

They were right, because there was an existence that their human eyes couldn't see. Acnologia simply had to turn back and look towards the person's direction.

Standing at the average height of a ten years old boy, the person had short brown hair and wore a long white cloak which he pushed back to reveal his face and white and black swirly eyes. He wore black trousers and a purple shirt, along with a pyramid necklace which had the ying and yang symbol at the middle.

"You say that despite how you reincarnated that other girl." The kid said. "Are you…perhaps scared of what I can do? All I have to do is make you suffer the same fate as the Black Wizard, you know."

Acnologia smug. "You threaten me with something so weak? I must say, you disappoint me, Ankhseram."

"Trust me, I have worse punishments for you." The god of life and death said. "Just like I did to Zeref and countless others**, I will plunge you into a life of eternal misery, Dragon God Acnologia.**"

Acnologia grinned in front of him. He wasn't going to back down from a threat. If anything, he was looking forward to what will happen next.

* * *

**BOOM! MIND BLOWN!**

**GOD ANKHSERAM HAS MADE HIS DEBUT!**

**For any of you who don't know, he's the god that cursed Zeref and indirectly became the cause of everything that happened in Fairy Tail. **

**I've actually foreshadow him in the first chapter. So really this isn't him just showing up out of nowhere. **

**So what did you think of this chapter as a whole? I decided to have God Serena killed off since I thought he deserved a satisfied death unlike what happened to him in canon. Besides, I'm considering bringing over someone with more potential later on. **

**Anyway, the reviewer, Enigmus-28, brought up a good question concerning those who can be brought to Akame Ga Kill from Fairy Tail. So I have to make it clear that not everyone is brought into that world. There are only a select people that can be brought into that world. Who knows, maybe Ankhseram will explain everything. **

**I would've ended everything here, but I need to make an announcement concerning the webcomic. **

**I hope to have a cover page commissioned in the next few months. It will take time since I'm working hard to gather the means to have the webcomic done, but this time I'm not asking you guys to donate on . That was a terrible idea. Simply go to my channel "Facts and Fiction Studios" and subscribe. If I can hit 1000 subscribers, I can monetize the videos and use some of the earning to get the webcomic going. Just be sure to clarify that you are on my channel. There's an Indian channel with the same name for some dumb reason, and I don't want you guys to accidentally give them subs. **

**Thank you for reading. Please check out my Twitter which is " FactsandF". Next few chapters will reveal a lot of things, including Acnologia's past, Ankhseram's reason to curse Zeref and how Sayo unleashed her magic power like that (It wasn't through the power of friendship. Lol).**

**Thank you for reading. Let me know your thoughts in the reviews. Bye. **


	11. Of Gods and Dragon Gods

Hello there, my lovely readers! Hope you're having a wonderful day/night. Welcome back to this fanfiction.

Hehe…Well this came really late. I guess this is the part where I apologize, but to be fair I have been incredibly busy. I've had to deal with some work, especially a guy who decided to rob me of a commission he made. I won't get into that. I just wanted to let you guys know what has been happening.

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN ANY TV SHOW. CAN ANYONE TELL ME WHY WE DO THIS DISCLAIMERS? LIKE SERIOUSLY, WHY?**

Now on to the chapter!

**Chapter 10: Of Gods and Dragon Gods **

Najenda and Bulat were puzzled by what they were seeing. Acnologia was standing there, as if he was staring at someone. To make it even more perplexing, he talked like he was speaking with someone. Could it be that it was someone invisible? That was one question that crossed Bulat's mind.

Back at Acnologia, the former dragon king was staring at Ankhseram, the god of life and death. The god was in the form of a child, but Acnologia knew better than to underestimate him. This god had no real body, thus he was used to making any body he deemed fit at the moment.

"Dragon God?" Acnologia questioned. "I must say that it does have a nice ring for me. Now that I think about it, the son of Igneel should be the new king since he defeated me."

"And yet you go about parading yourself with the title." Ankhseram replied.

Acnologia smug, and shrugged his shoulders. "What can I say? It's hard to get rid of old habits."

"Like how you massacred hundreds of thousands of dragons?"

"Those times are behind me now. You should know that."

Ankhseram glared at the former dragon king, and crossed his arms. "Act as bold as you want, Dragon God, but you and I both know what lies in your heart. I swear you're a bigger nuisance than those other Dragon Gods back in Earthland."

"Is that so?"

"You don't seem surprised." The god's glare darkened.

Acnologia chuckled. "There's not much that surprises me. After all, if the king of the Fire Dragons and his companions and their children could escape me, I have no doubt that there might be other dragons who flee the Dragon King Festival when they had the chance."

"Indeed, and now that you're gone, they're causing a lot of trouble in Earthland."

"Saddening, but I'm not too worried." Acnologia said and smiled to the nightly skies. "Knowing that guild, they'll be more than enough to deal with them."

"You mean Fairy Tail."

Acnologia looked back at him. "So that's really their name? I can't say I like it."

"So it would seem. However…" Ankhseram raised his arm, and pointed his index finger at Acnologia. "…your punishment awaits you, Acnologia."

"We've already been through this. Your stupid black mist won't mean anything to me. Eternity? I've come to terms with it. I have nothing to lose."

"But who says you'll have to endure it?"

"What?"

Ankhseram's face changed into a malicious and sickening grin. All he had to do was then point up at the sky and shoot a black mist into the sky. Acnologia watched it go, and saw it engulf the entire sky, turning it pitch black for a millisecond. No human would notice it, except someone like Irene, who was watching the interaction between the two of them from afar.

"What did he do?" She wondered. Thanks to a spell of hers, she was able to see and hear their discussion from miles away.

Back at them, the former dragon king scowled at him. "What did you do, Ankhseram?"

"Your punishment." He said with that same grin. "Do you know what an immortal's worst fear is?"

Acnologia gave the question a thought. Of course, he knew the answer to it, but he knew there was more to it than the god of life and death was letting. That's when it hit him, and a scowl came across his face.

"So you're willing to drag others into this, even innocent lives." He said.

"Yes." Ankhseram replied and put his arm down. "Humans and dragons have to learn their place in the world. If gods allow them to do whatever they want, they will be total chaos."

"You honestly believe that?"

"Excuse me?" The god raised an eyebrow. "You dare question a god's decision?"

Acnologia remarked. "Come now, you said it yourself. I'm a dragon god. Besides…" He paused and allowed the scowl to return. "…anyone, including a human, can see how stupid and illogical your mindset is."

"How can you say that?!" Ankhseram took offense to his comment. "You may be some kind of god, but you're barely anything compared to me."

"Are you sure about that?" Acnologia's scowl deepened, and he opened his palm before the god's eyes. "I have the power of time and space in my hands. Though it's not as powerful as it used to be back in Earthland, it is more than enough to contend with gods like you."

"Gods?" Najenda whispered in shock.

Religion existed in their world, but she wasn't a believer in any of them. Even the religious organization, the Path of Peace, arguably didn't have a god that they worshipped since their belief centered on its head. Other religions which existed in the empire had either been converted to the Prime Minister's standards or destroyed entirely by the empire's forces.

"He's obviously speaking with someone." Bulat stated as he stared at Acnologia. "Whoever it is, we cannot see them."

"I know that, but…I'm concerned about one thing." Najenda admitted as she hid the fear on her face. "What he said about his power, can that be true? We both know that a Teigu has its own limit. Even Esdeath can't suddenly do things outside her Teigu's abilities."

"I understand…No doubt, Acnologia is not someone with a Teigu. I think we can agree with just that alone."

Najenda subtly nodded and put her attention back on Acnologia and his invisible friend. The former dragon king became serious as he put his arm down.

"Tell me, Ankhseram, what did you do while the black wizard suffered?" He paused and made his voice louder. "What did you do when he unintentionally took every life around him?! What did you do when he snapped and created all kinds of demons to ravage the earth?! Lives were lost because of you, lives that never wanted to be snuffed out by one man's curse died because of you! Men! Women! Children! They all died because of your stupid curse!"

"Like you're one to talk?! Those dragons you killed were women and children too! You took human lives too!"

"At least I can admit to the things I did were wrong! What about you?!"

Ankhseram became silent as he maintained his glare on Acnologia. Both beings suddenly materialized the tension between them when they released their auras and affected the environment around them.

The earth underneath their feet, and miles away, began to experience a small tremor. Ankhseram's black mist escape his body and took away the lives of trees and insects miles away. Luckily, Najenda and Bulat were unaffected, as the god was aware of their presence and didn't want to harm them. But that didn't stop the both of them from seeing trees dying as the life in them were taken away.

"You should control your temper, Ankhseram. I won't forgive you if you harm any humans." Acnologia informed him.

The god of life and death smirked. He stopped his aura and returned everything back to the state that it was. Unlike Zeref, he always had the power to return life to whoever or whatever he wanted.

"Now you admit that you care for the humans." He said manipulatively. "But I wonder if you would feel the same if you found any other dragon than the enchantress."

"I said it before. Those times are behind me now. But I will act if someone steps out of line." Acnologia admitted. "You fail to realize one thing. I have no regret for the mission I took upon myself to wipe out the dragons."

"Oh? So now you're taking the role of a god?" Ankhseram's smile dropped into an offended one. "You must be daring me more and more, Acnologia."

"Perhaps, but to be fair, I tried to minimize my involvement. I still intend to do that. I've done wrongs to humans before, and thanks to the son of Igneel, I wish to live a different life."

"Oh right. Natsu Dragneel." Ankhseram murmured as he tapped his cheek. "He was a part of that plan of mine. Quite the tool, he became."

"A tool? What are you –"

The former dragon king stopped as a realization dawned on him. In an instant, his aura intensified and halted the small tremor of the ground. He then clutched his fists as his blue aura became visibly stronger.

"So that's how it is! I can't believe I hadn't seen it before! To think you would also play with humans like that, do you have no shame?!"

"Shame? I am a god. Shame is for the humans."

"Bastard…" Acnologia snarled. "Your curse on Zeref wasn't just to punish him, it was your plan to have me dealt with. Everyone, including the black wizard, the dragons, the dark guild Tartaros, Fairy Tail, and the Alvarez empire, were all just your puppets to get rid of me for good."

"Yes." Ankhseram grinned. He couldn't hide his glee as he clapped for the former dragon king. "Look who figured it all out with just a single hint. I must say you turned out much different than what I had expected. You have vastly changed from the monster you were."

Acnologia gritted his teeth and tightened his fists. He wanted nothing more than to beat the god right in front of him. He knew he was a bad guy, but Ankhseram was a monster. Everyone had just been a puppet to him, including Acnologia himself. That angered him almost more than anything he had felt angry about.

"But why…?" Acnologia questioned. Though he held himself back, his venomous voice was clear to him. "Why use the humans?! You could've just cut me down by yourself!"

"True." Ankhseram tilted his head innocently. "I could've done that. But…there was a lot of factors in play."

"Factors?"

"Yes." He held up one finger. "You're immunity might've turned you into a god if I attempted to kill you. Only powerful dragon slayer magic and Fairy Sphere together with good hearts like Fairy Tail could deal with you. I may be a god, but dragon slayer magic is something I cannot replicate."

"But the road towards that flows with pain, suffering and blood."

"True." The god put his arm down. "But I got my result. A god like myself can't be expected to go so low to fight a dragon, even if he is the king himself."

"Ah…so…you looked down on me." Acnologia whispered. It was still enough for Ankhseram to hear. "And even now you look down on me."

"Yes." Ankhseram's grin widened. "Though you are a dragon god, you aren't up to my level of godliness."

Acnologia cracked a smile. "I see…But that's where you're wrong."

"What?"

Just then, Acnologia erupted into a fit of laughter. Both of his hands were raised as he reared his head back and laughed as loud as he wanted. Najenda and Bulat were shaken by it. There was a dark feeling towards it that the two humans couldn't ignore.

He stopped for a moment and revealed the sickening grin on his face. Ankhseram had seen that face before. It was back when the former dragon king was in Earthland, wreaking havoc as he pleased.

"Yes! Of course!" He bellowed. "I know what I must do now" His red eyes engulfed his whole eyeball as he looked at the god. "I slaughtered so many dragons and became the Dragon King. So…what's to say I can't do it again, but with the gods? I will become the God King Acnologia!"

"Ha! Like you can do that!" Ankhseram retorted. "Not even you can kill the top gods!"

"Wanna bet?" Acnologia asked as he pointed at him. "I know what you are thinking. All I have is magic to slay dragons, not a god. But…I wouldn't be so sure about you."

"What?"

"Just you wait, Ankhseram! I will grow stronger, and when I am done with this world, I will hunt you and every god down! Only then will every world be free of the very existence of gods!"

A chill went down Ankhseram's spine, which barely showed on his face. Acnologia briefly looked scary due the sadistic look on his face. But he pushed the feeling aside and clutched his fists.

"Then I will be the first god to oppose you." Ankhseram proclaimed. "But you will have to deal with the trials I have laid for you. If you can do that, then I will wait for you in the battlefield of the gods."

"I look forward to it." Acnologia acknowledged and raised his open hand at him. "Keep watching, Ankhseram, because…" He paused and clutched his fist. "I will decimate whatever you have in stored for me."

"We shall see."

The god of life and death closed his eyes and disappeared.

"**May we meet again, Dragon God Acnologia." **

"Yes." The former dragon king confirmed with a nod. Deeply, he anticipated the moment they'll see again.

* * *

A groan escaped both Najenda and Bulat as they woke up. Both of them were on the ground, still behind their hiding spot. It was weird, though, because there wasn't nothing physically wrong with them.

"Wh…What happened?" Najenda asked, confused as she rose from the ground. She felt her head hurt, and placed her human hand on her forehead. "Last thing I remember…Argh…Weren't we listening in on Acnologia?"

Bulat understood her situation. "Yeah…But whenever I tried to remember the moment we fell unconscious, I…My head just hurts."

"**Best you stop doing that." **Acnologia said. He stood on the uprooted tree, looking down on them. **"The fact that neither of you have fallen into a coma is impressive. Not many can survive a god's temporal discharge." **

Najenda and Bulat stared at him, a bit surprised. Acnologia had shown up seemingly out of nowhere. Luckily, they were quick to adapt to the situation, with Najenda sighing as she put her arm down.

"Is that right?" Najenda asked. "And here I thought my life wouldn't have so much surprises. So you knew we were listening in on you."

Acnologia didn't answer, but his silence did the talking. He jumped down from the uproot tree and walked passed them.

"Let's go. We're done here." He said.

"Not quite." Najenda replied.

"Hmm?" Acnologia stopped. He looked over his shoulder, intrigued to know what the woman had to say.

Both of them made eye contact, with neither of them backing down. Acnologia could see through those determined eyes that she needed to know something. The only question was what it could be.

"Fairy Tail. You mentioned that name with your guest." She said.

"That is right." Acnologia confirmed as he turned fully at her. "What about them?"

"Who are they?"

Acnologia fell silent. Truth be told, he didn't know much about them, except that they were a good guild. His silence allowed him to think deep and reflect on the time he attacked the guild on Tenrou Island. Those humans, including the dragon slayers, had been fun to play with, but now he began to realize that each one of them had an insignia on certain arms of their body.

'_So…all of them were Fairy Tail. How am I just noticing this now?' _He thought.

True, he faced them in his final battle, but he only recognized the dragon slayers. There were many other mages who were involved that didn't even catch him notice. But he was aware that the other guild members were involved.

"Why are you asking?" Acnologia questioned.

No human would want to know about a strange name unless they knew something about it. The only person who had mentioned them was Esdeath. That confirmed more than enough that there was a member of Fairy Tail in this world too.

Najenda wasn't intimidated. She kind of expected Acnologia to answer with a question of his own.

"Answer my question first."

"No."

"Then I won't tell you."

"Fine by me."

The former dragon king turned his back at her and began to walk away. "One way or the other I will find out the truth. Humans years aren't so long to me."

"Wait!" Najenda shouted.

The former dragon king came to a stop. He hadn't really expected her to call out to him. So whatever she had to tell him, it must be important.

"Hmm?" He sounded as he turned back at her. The distance between them was wider, but they could see each other perfectly.

"A man named Yuri Dreyar mentioned the name. He died while trying to save my life, as well as the life of some good men. Now you understand why I asked." Najenda stated.

"Ah, so he's dead." Acnologia replied. He sounded disappointed, partly because he wanted to meet him at some point. "I'm guessing he was killed by the woman named Esdeath."

Both Najenda and Bulat felt their bodies stiffened a bit. They were aware that Acnologia had been in the Northern Tribes, so the possibility that he ran into Esdeath wasn't unbelievable.

"So you really faced the ice queen herself." Bulat said.

"Indeed." Acnologia acknowledged.

He turned away, prepared to leave. However, Bulat wouldn't have it end like that.

"Hold on! You're just going to leave like that!" He shouted. "She answered your question. Be a man and answer her question!"

Najenda's eyes laid on Bulat, surprised at his outburst. She was almost surprised that he had spoken up. As for Acnologia, he never turned back, rather he allowed them to stare at his blue cloak.

"Fairy Tail…is a powerful guild with mage users and dragon slayers. That is all I know." He answered solemnly. "If Esdeath really killed one of their strongest, then I guess she's strong in her own right."

With that said, he walked away from them without looking back at them. Both Najenda and Bulat watched him go before they followed him. Without a doubt, Acnologia was no man from the reality they have known.

* * *

Sometime passed before Acnologia, Najenda and Bulat arrived in Night Raid's hideout. The place was untouched when God Serena and Sayo battled outside its walls. But there was a sense of tension in the air, especially as Lubbock approached them once they went through the main entrance.

He was relieved when he saw Najenda and Bulat were okay. But a good glance at Acnologia almost made him to shudder. He had seen what the former dragon king could do, and actually felt scared because of him.

Nonetheless, his focus was on Najenda as he ran towards her.

"Najenda-san, thank goodness you're okay." He said. "Sheele and Sayo are responding well their treatment."

"And Mine?" Najenda asked.

A cold air swept through the room. That was expected since the topic was very heavy. Mine was dead, and they both knew that. The open hole which went through her chest made that clear. But there was a reason Najenda asked about her.

"Um…Mine was buried by Akame." He answered.

"I see." She responded.

It was a heavy feeling to know that a member was dead. Though they knew each of them could die, that didn't stop the Najenda from being the loss. The only thing she could do was make sure that their deaths weren't in vain. They were fighting for a brighter future for the people, so she intended to make it happen.

"Get some rest." She ordered and placed a hand on his shoulder. "We're going to see them."

"Thank you…" He muttered.

Acnologia glanced at him before he followed Najenda and Bulat to Sheele's room. The purple-haired woman lay on her bed, unconscious while wrapped with bandages around her stomach, head, arms and legs. Akame was seated next to her, eyes staring at her body as her own thoughts ran.

"How is she?" Najenda asked upon entering the room. Acnologia and Bulat were behind her as they stared at the unconscious body.

"She's doing okay." Akame said, her tone unshakeable. Acnologia, however, could sense the grief deep inside her as she continued. "She suffered some minor fractured bones. It's even a miracle that she made it here while carrying Mine's body."

"I'm not too surprised." Bulat said. "Sheele may be dense some times, but…she's been a fighter ever since that night with those bandits. The fact that she made it here despite her injuries just proved it. Her willpower is strong."

"Indeed." Acnologia agreed.

He surprised the others when he walked over to Sheele and placed his hand on her body. Akame felt a sting of anger towards him, and attempted to grab him away. She knew better than to use her weapon against a man who couldn't be scratched by it. But that wouldn't stop her from protecting her friend.

"Stand down, Akame." Najenda commanded. "Allow him."

The female assassin looked at her before she put her arm down. She would never disobey Najenda's orders. She knew that the boss meant well for everyone, so she had no doubt.

And so Acnologia was uninterrupted as he summoned his time magic upon Sheele's body. The woman's body began to heal rapidly, to the point that her breathing returned to normal. The bandages on her body disappeared while her dress restored to its normal state.

'_So…this is the time magic he mentioned.' _Bulat thought. _'Is that how he was able to bring back Sayo? Now I see why Tatsumi was so hopeful. With this power, maybe some people can be brought back to life.' _

"She'll be fine now." Acnologia announced as he pulled his hand back. "All she needs is some good rest. That's all I can do."

"Thank you." Akame said.

The former dragon king looked at her. For once she was showing her true emotions without hiding it. She actually looked relieved.

"No need to thank me." Acnologia replied. He turned his back at her and headed to the door. "It's my fault that she got hurt."

He was out of the room before Akame's smile showed itself. Just like Acnologia saw through her, she was able to see through him too. No doubt, he was the kind of man who hadn't been thanked about something before. But that didn't mean he didn't appreciate it.

"Get some rest, Akame." Najenda said. "You've done enough."

"Yes." Akame nodded firmly.

The boss was about to exit the room when she turned to Bulat and placed her hand on his chest. She had something for him to do.

"I want you to watch Sheele for the night." She said.

"I understand." Bulat replied and smiled. "That man…he's really a mystery, isn't he?"

"You can say that." Najenda answered. "But in a way, I'm glad he's not against us, even if he can be ignorant sometimes. I'm sure he has his own personal reasons."

She then exited the room and headed to Sayo's room. She had no doubt that Acnologia stopped by the room to check up on his pupil. The only thing she didn't expect was to hear Tatsumi's voice.

His yell caught her a bit off guard and made her quicken her pace. When she got to the room's doorway, she saw Tatsumi having a standoff with Acnologia. The teen was furious while the latter seemed annoyed by Tatsumi. He obstructed his way to Sayo's body, which was sleeping soundly on her bed.

"Don't you dare come near her?!" Tatsumi yelled. "It's your fault, isn't it?! You're the reason she got hurt! If you had been honest with everyone, then she wouldn't be like this! Now Main's dead because of you!"

"Tatsumi, that's enough!" Leone yelled. She stood at the other side of Sayo's dead, understandably angry at him "Cool your temper before I –"

Acnologia interrupted as he took a step forward. Tatsumi reacted by charging straight at him. The distance between them closed in an instant, but not in Tatsumi's favor. The teen was grabbed by the throat and slammed against the wall. The former dragon king was now holding him by the neck with his nails slowly digging into his neck.

"Did she tell you?" Acnologia asked.

"W-What are you…Urgghh!"

"Answer me, boy!"

"Yes! Yes, she did!" Tatsumi confessed.

"I see…" Acnologia loosened his grasp on his neck. "Here's a lesson for you, kid. Unless you have a good reason, don't ever try to cross me. You may remind me of someone I knew, but that doesn't mean I won't hesitate to teach you a lesson. Do you understand?"

Tatsumi was unable to answer him, so he released him. He watched him grunt and hit the ground by his butt. The impact must've hurt, but he wasn't really concerned. Tatsumi's anger wasn't quenched, as proven by the glare he sent at him.

"You should stop looking down on people. Just because you're strong, that doesn't mean you can treat everyone like shit." He said.

Najenda and Leone stood by to watch the outcome. To be fair, they were impressed with Tatsumi's solemn tone as he glared at the former dragon king. It wasn't something they expected from you.

"You're right, for once." Acnologia acknowledged.

"I am?" Tatsumi asked, surprised. He expected denial, not acceptance.

"But…" Acnologia turned towards Sayo. "…though there is truth in your words, you're only like this from your own emotions. Keep this in mind, kid, because I have seen hundreds of thousands die for that particular reason. Never let your emotions alone decide your actions. You'll die if you do."

"Is that a threat?" He asked.

Acnologia shot a glare at him. "A warning. I'm sure the Prime Minister will enjoy stepping on your lifeless corpse."

His message was loud and clear, even to Tatsumi. Acnologia wasn't saying that he will kill Tatsumi, rather he was warning him. The former dragon king knew how dangerous this world has become. He won't have to be the one to kill Tatsumi if the teen fought with just his rage alone.

Leone and Najenda were impressed, with the latter being more in thought with it. Acnologia's words confirmed more than enough that he wasn't from the empire or its surrounding regions. Now she was more invested in the dragon slayer.

As Tatsumi fell silent, Acnologia looked back at Sayo's unconscious body. She wasn't wrapped in bandages like Sheele. That was to expect since she hadn't sustained any injury. But there was still the issue of muscle pain. Acnologia had seen her push herself, so he was concerned.

"Odd…" Acnologia commented. "Her body is…healing itself. But how?"

"Is something wrong?" Najenda asked. She stepped close to him, eyes focused.

"She shouldn't have been able to win that battle." Acnologia stated. "Even with her emotions awakening her magical potential, she shouldn't have been able to access the larger layer of magic within her at this point in time."

"Yo! Are you being serious right now?!" Leone yelled. "This couldn't be something like pulling a rabbit out of a hat! Be serious here!"

"Enough, Leone!" Najenda snapped at her. "Do not interrupt him."

Leone shuddered and closed her mouth shut. She had never seen the boss be so serious before.

"Please, continue." Najenda said to Acnologia. "What is this other layer of…magic that you mentioned."

"Second Origin." He replied. "Every mage has it. It's a second 'container' of magic within them. However, this layer shouldn't have been enough to defeat a powerful dragon slayer like that man. She would have to train with it before she could match him in strength."

"But she won." Leone said, somewhat getting the gist of it. "Shouldn't that matter the most?"

"Yes…But she should be dead by now."

"What?!" Tatsumi and Leone shouted at the same time.

The teen rose from his seat, panicked about his best friend.

"What do you mean by that?! Sayo can't be dead!"

"I never said she was. Keep up, kid." Acnologia shot a glare at him. His face changed, however, when he looked back at Sayo's body with concern. "A beginner mage shouldn't be able to handle Second Origin. That's why I had her train physically so her body wouldn't hurt once she taps into it. And yet…"

"Yet?" Leone asked.

"She handled it quite well…"

"But she got hurt." Tatsumi said. "I saw it with my own eyes."

Acnologia looked at him again. "True, but, in that moment, she should've exploded into bloody guts on top of you and the earth she stood on."

"What?!"

"The fact that she only got hurt by overusing the magic in her was a good thing." He turned back to Sayo. "However, my main concern is how her magic is reacting. Right now…it is receding to its former state. Her Second Origin is locked again, almost like she was aware of its danger on her untrained body."

"Incredible…I never thought Sayo could do that."

'_That's because she can't.' _Acnologia replied in his head. _'So, does that mean that she is…really __**her**__?'_

He looked back at Tatsumi. "Tell me, did your people have any martial artists amongst them?"

"No, we didn't." He answered.

"I see."

He had seen the fight between God Serena and Sayo, and knew that just magic power alone wasn't enough to beat the dragon slayer. The fact that Sayo fought him with master level martial arts began to grow on his suspicion.

He reached out his hand to her forehead. There wasn't any need to speculate anymore when he could look into her memory. Some people might find it rude, but he didn't care. He needed answers.

Suddenly, he was slammed with a woman's voice racing through his head.

"_**ACNOLOGIA!"**_

"_**PLEASE…PLEASE DON'T DO THIS!" **_

"_**WE TRUSTED YOU!" **_

"_**LET ME HELP YOU! WE CAN DO THIS TOGETHER!" **_

"_**I WON'T LEAVE YOU, NOT THIS TIME! I PROMISE!" **_

Then he heard his own voice.

"_**THEN YOU WILL DIE!" **_

In an instant, he was thrown out of that memory and back into the present. First thing he did was gasp as his eyes widened. He recognized that woman's voice from anywhere, and gotten a good look of her in that moment.

"Acnologia?" Tatsumi asked.

Everyone was staring at him, surprised to see him standing there in shock. The former dragon king must've noticed because he snapped out of it and stormed out of the room.

"She's fine. Don't follow me." He said.

He was gone before anyone could give call out to him. That alone left them perplexed as Tatsumi, Najenda and Leone looked down on Sayo's unconscious body, wondering what she had done to make the unshakeable dragon slayer so troubled.

* * *

Behind the Imperial Palace's walls, everyone was in usual activity again. The night had gone, only to then be replaced by the morning skies and air. Winter was on its way, and it won't be long before there'll be snow falling on the Imperial Palace.

Irene has become very accustomed to life there. It wasn't really different from her activity as a queen back in Earthland. The only difference was her royal powers.

At the moment, she had finished taking a bath before she went inside her room. It was as grand as one would expect for the imperial princess. The only thing she wore was a large towel which exposed her cleavage.

Her attention heightened when she sensed a familiar presence. She confirmed who it was at the doorway before her eyes locked on him.

"You know, it's not nice to sneak into a woman's room." Irene said.

Acnologia scoffed. He was seated at the edge of her grand bed with his eyes glaring at her.

"Get dressed. We need to talk." He replied.

"Oh?" Irene raised an eyebrow with a small smug. "Does this perhaps have to do with the girl named Sayo?"

"You knew about her."

"Yes, I did. But…" She paused and snapped her fingers. In a flash of red light, she was back in her usual attire and her staff in hand. "…it sounds like you didn't know. Or perhaps you…had a hunch about her when you resurrected her corpse."

Acnologia growled lowly. He didn't like it when someone was able to figure him out. She was correct with her assessment. There was something about Sayo that had made him bring her back from the dead. Sure, he excused it as wanting to test his time magic, but that wasn't the whole truth.

"Then there is no need to cut around it, then." Acnologia replied and stood up. "Answer me. Is she really…**her**?"

Irene raised her hand to her face and giggled.

"Oh, Acnologia, why do you have to lie to yourself? You and I both know the truth now. But I must say that it is shocking."

Acnologia's composure didn't change though. If he wanted, he could've harmed her right at that moment. But he had no reason for it, hence he stood in silence.

"Fine…" Irene said and put her arm down. "She's what she is. The girl named Sayo is truly the reincarnation of an old friend of ours, **Lara Marvell**, the first **Dragon God.**"

* * *

Somewhere far away from the Capital's walls was a town in a state of emergency. Men, women and children were being evacuated to a bunker underneath their town. The town's guards were hurriedly taking them away because of the imperial force heading towards their wall.

A few days ago, a visitor had gotten into a fight with the town's lord. The lord responded by heading to the Capital and reporting the issue to the Prime Minister himself. However, he had lied that a rebellion was building up in the town in order to get Honest's immediate response.

The report didn't go as he had planned, however. Though Honest would send a small imperial army to the town, he had the lord executed and locked away his beautiful wife and daughters for his own personal use. Now the town was trying to get to safety.

Meanwhile, the visitor who started the current situation was around. She stood on top of the town's walls, watching the imperial force coming towards the town.

"There are so many of them." said one man.

He was a middle-aged man who was a captain in the empire. However, ever since he was told how the lord had betrayed them and the town, he and his men decided to leave the Imperial army and join the rebellion once the incoming Imperial force was dealt with.

"Are you sure you can face them on your own?" He asked.

"I'm certain." She answered. "It's kind of my fault that this happened. I never thought the lord of this town would be so cowardly that he would put his own people in danger. But then again…he was a corrupt noble who took advantage of this town's economy."

"Yes. I admire your responsibility, and all, but…"

"But?" She looked at him, perplexed.

The man coughed into his fist and looked away with a blush on his face. "Can you at least get dressed?"

The woman's clothes lay a few feet away from her. She only stood in a green bra and underwear. Despite how weird it was, she acted like it was normal.

"I could. But I'm at my best when I loosened up a little." She said.

'_She calls that 'a little'.' _He thought and sighed. _'Well…I don't have my doubts about her. With the power she wield, she__**'**__s a force not to reckon with.' _

He looked back at her again. "Then I wish you the best. Please save this town to the best of your abilities, **Ur**."

She smiled and winked at him. "No worries. Just keep everyone in the ice bunker I made. It's special since it's stronger than an average bunker, and it won't give anyone a cold."

"Thank you."

She nodded at him before she looked back at the approaching army. Ur, the teacher of Ice Devil Slayer, Gray Fullbuster, and mother of the Time Mage, Ultear Milkovich, was more than ready to face the one thousand soldiers coming to the town.

* * *

**Ur has finally made her debut! **

**The next chapter will focus on her battle. I hope you guys are looking forward to that. **

**Anyway, this chapter revealed a lot of things. It turned out that Ankhseram was the true puppeteer of EVERYTHING that happened in Fairy Tail. It isn't canon, but I thought it would be nice to have it shown that everything happened because of Acnologia's own existence. It makes him more of a threat than we thought he was. **

**And then there was Sayo. I did mention that Sayo's power boost had nothing to do with friendship power boost. There's more to it which I would have put down yet, but thought it would be too much. In fact, this chapter was supposed to reveal more of Acnologia's past. However, I held that back for canonical reasons. **

**Lastly, keep in mind that Ankhseram has unleashed a curse in the world of AGK. But what is this curse? Find out as you continue reading this fanfiction. **

**So I have been thinking about Tatsumi, and I am considering having him learn some form of magic. Some of you may have been worried that he isn't in the spotlight anymore (even for a crossover), so I have devised a way that he can be in it too without losing who he is. **

**So what magic should he learn? I listed them down below, but please make your vote in the poll which is onmy profile. You can access it only on the computer version of the website. If you are on mobile, you can access it by clicking the computer version below the page. **

**Enhancement Magic – This will grant him the ability to increase the power and speed of himself and anything he wields. (E.g He can be strong and fast with or without Incursio, he can increase the range of his hearing, and increase the power of Incursio)**

**Illusion Magic – This will grant him the ability to create illusions of any kind (e.g Make illusion copies of himself, deceive his friend or enemy of his presence, and scare anyone). **

**Uno Magic – This magic allows him to switch places with anyone and anything. (E.g He can use it to switch place with anyone that is in danger, use it to get away from a dangerous situation, or switch place with an enemy so the enemy will be in the line of fire instead of him).**

**Ghost Magic – He will be able to go through anyone or anything, possess anyone with a weak body and mind, and become invisible without Incursio. **

**Fire Magic – This grants him the power to use fire in any shape or size he wants. Keep in mind, however, that he cannot eat fire, nor is his body as strong as a dragon slayer. **

**You have until the next chapter to place your vote. So choose wisely, because you only get one choice. Again, check out the poll in my profile and make your vote there. **

**As for my Corruption, Murder and Redemption readers, fear not. I am currently working on the next chapter which focuses on Paradox vs Sunny. So look forward to that. **

**And before I end this little talk, please subscribe to the channel "Facts and Fiction Studios". If I get monetized, I can use some of the money to work on the webcomic for this fanfiction. **

**Thank you for reading. Please let me know your thoughts of the chapter in the reviews. And don't forget to favorite and follow this fanfiction. My twitter handle is " FactsandF". Use it if you want to follow me there or to communicate with me. **

**Again, thanks for reading. I will see you in the next chapter.**

EDIT: SO THIS PART IS DEDICATED TO QUESTIONS THAT I FORGOT TO ANSWER. READ IT IF YOU WANT.

**Will Doya (Kurome's puppet) be alive in this fanfiction or will Acnologia be allowed to resurrect those that have been turned into puppets by Kurome's Teigu? (**By Guest10)

Answer: I never considered that. But considering she's from the Northern Tribes, it's possible that Acnologia might bring her from the dead. However, there will have to be a reason for him to do this since he's not someone who doesn't want to resurrect anyone every time just because he can.

**Why Mine as well?** (By ChimaTigon)

Answer: Why not? lol. But seriously, this is to show that events are going to start changing. We already know how things turned out with Mine alive, so why don't we see things with Sheele alive but Mine dead? I wanted to try out something new since I'm sure a lot of you expected either Sheele to die or everyone to survive God Serena.

**With Mine gone, what is the pairing for Tatsumi? **

Answer: It's going to be Tatsumi and Akame now. I always felt those two had a strong chemistry.

**How will Night Raid react now Mine has been reincarnated? **(By keybladelight)

Answer: Actually, they don't know about that, and they never will. Acnologia doesn't think it's important to inform them, so they're going to be in the dark about it unless he does the same thing to them when they die. One scene I planned was supposed to just have Mine's spirit reunite with Yuri in the afterlife. Another scene was meant to show reincarnated Mine in her new life. But you can see that I never went with either of them. I like what I ended up with.

**What is with Acnologia's Homophobia? **(By Empyrean Asura)

Answer: I wouldn't say he is like that. The scene with him is just because he was concerned that Bulat might touch him inappropriately. Plus, it was just dumb comedy, so no worries there. lol

**With Sayo's new power up, doesn't that mean she is stronger than Esdeath and the empire? **(By a guest reviewer)

Answer: Yes, it does. However, that power has receded to the moment prior to her battle with God Serena. We won't see her in that powerful state again for a while. Fortunately, we will see her magic grow as the fanfiction continues.


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